Proceeds from £15 book Cook Like a Champ will fund setting up home packs for care leavers
A group of care experienced young people have launched a cookbook packed full of recipes for all abilities. The book contains recipes, illustrations and photography and will be given to every young person as they leave care. It comes during Care Experienced Week (October 26-November 1) and all proceeds will go to help young people leaving care.
Edinburgh Champions Board is a group of care experienced young people aged 16 and over who meet fortnightly. The group offer support, share their experiences of being in care and influence decision makers to make positive change. They meet at The Corporate Parenting Hub, a city centre space with a kitchen, living spaces and meeting rooms that opened last year. Food is a central part of sessions, with every meeting starting with a family style dinner, which in part inspired the creation of the cookbook, Cook Like a Champ.
The book features a mix of recipes including simple and affordable dishes, food from the young people’s culture and cuisine that requires more technical skill. Cook Like a Champ is priced £15, and copies can be ordered by emailing corporateparentinghub@edinburgh.gov.uk.
All proceeds will go towards creating more setting up home packs, containing essentials for care experienced young people’s first homes including cutlery, crockery, bedding and cleaning supplies. The group launched the book at a special event on 29 October, where they prepared samples of some of the dishes for guests.
Leah, 16, lives in a residential home in Edinburgh. She has been coming along to Edinburgh Champions Board for a year and is studying at college to become a chef. She said: “I love coming to the hub and spending time with other people in care, so I know it is not just me. We have a great sense of community, and the staff treat us as part of a family.
“I’ve always loved cooking, and the hub has a great kitchen to practice in. The cook book is great and will mean people leaving care don’t need to worry about what to make, they can open the book and be inspired. I’d love us to sell thousands so we can buy more home packs and make things that little easier for people leaving care.
“The packs will have the things you need to make recipes from the book and give people leaving care a bit of help – like others would get from their family when they got their first home.”
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Cllr James Dalgleish, convenor of Education, Children and Families, said: “This is a fantastic achievement from the Edinburgh Champions Board, and the book is beautifully designed. I have my copy and can’t wait to try out some of the recipes, not sure my cooking skills are at the grilled sea bass level, but I hope I can manage the tomato soup!
“The Hub is a wonderful asset for looked after children to be able to drop in and have a chat with a member of staff, or just chill out. They can access support and help with education, employment and benefits and there is an app young people can access too.
“Young people are our future and Edinburgh’s greatest asset, it is vital we do all we can to support them.”
