A Lifetime of Flavours: Celebrating food, family and the lives behind beloved recipes – a unique cookbook featuring 43 much-loved recipes from Sanctuary Care home residents is launching today – proving that love of hobbies, such as cooking, shouldn’t fade with age!
This heartwarming collection features treasured dishes from care home residents passed down through generations. Packed with heart, heritage and flavour, residents from around the UK have submitted these recipes as they continue to play an important part their lives.
The cookbook has been curated by Sanctuary Care, a UK not-for-profit with 110 care homes across England and Scotland, providing residential, nursing, dementia, palliative and respite care. Sanctuary Care has been delivering trusted care for over 25 years.
At the heart of A Lifetime of Flavours is Sanctuary Care’s Enriching Lives Framework — an evidence-based approach to care that focuses on maintaining identity, purpose, and joy in later life. The cookbook specifically celebrates ‘continuity’, one of the six senses within the framework, by showing how residents can carry on lifelong passions and traditions, such as cooking, even after moving into a care home.
Mealtimes are a vital part of that continuity — offering structure, sensory stimulation, creativity, independence and connection. Good nutrition plays a key role too, helping residents stay active, alert and well-nourished.
“Food offers continuity — it’s deeply personal and full of memory. Supporting our residents to continue their favourite pastimes is a vital part of the Enriching Lives Framework, and this is what the cookbook celebrates.” Saids Louise Palmer, Director of Operations at Sanctuary Care. “Moving into a care home isn’t about leaving your old life behind, but continuing the things that bring you joy. Whether it’s recreating a childhood recipe or baking with friends, our chefs work closely with residents to make every mealtime meaningful — and ‘A Lifetime of Flavours’ is a celebration of that love of food, family, and the lives behind the recipes.”
Great British Bake Off Champion 2023 Matty Edgell credits his grandmother for getting him interested in cooking and provides a heartwarming introduction to the book. He says: “Some of my happiest memories are tied to the kitchen table with my nan. Family recipes, seasonal traditions and nostalgic flavours can instantly take you back to a certain time or place. That’s why I’m proud to be supporting Sanctuary Care’s ‘A Lifetime of Flavours’ cookbook, celebrating the joy of a life-long love of food and supporting the incredible work of Mental Health UK. I hope it encourages people of all generations to get together in the kitchen and share the recipes they love.”
Highlights from the recipes include:
Malcolm’s Cornish Pasty – Malcolm, 75 years old, from Cornwall began baking from the age of 10 and eventually took over the family business from his grandad. Malcolm loves to show residents and carers how to make their famous Cornish Pasty, filled with succulent steak, onions, potato, turnip and fresh herbs. To share his knowledge and trade secrets, he is soon to run a pasty crimping lesson with his son and fellow residents. Malcolm once cooked his delicious pasty for celeb-chef Gordon Ramsey.
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Lyn’s Cheese Scones – Lyn, 80 years old, from Nunthorpe brings a taste of nostalgia and community spirit with her beloved cheese scones. Her love of baking began in school, where she eagerly shared her creations with her mother, and the pair spent weekends experimenting with all kinds of scones. After many years of baking traditional recipes, Lyn developed her own delicious cheese scones with tips from staff members. Though she now bakes mainly for special occasions, her scones remain a heartwarming reminder of family, creativity, and joyful experimentation.
Barbara’s Apricot and Sultana Cake – This recipe captures a cherished family tradition of baking, centered around Barbara’s beloved apricot and sultana cake. Passed down from her mother May through a treasured collection of recipe books, the cake reflects generations of family heritage and shared memories. Barbara’s daughters, Jayne and Wendy, now carry on the tradition, baking the same cake for their own families. The recipe is more than a set of ingredients—it represents family connection, pride, and the joy of preserving a favourite family ritual.
‘A Lifetime of Flavours: Celebrating food, family and the lives behind beloved recipes’ is available to order with a donation to Mental Health UK here.
