Catering students made tasty and healthy meals for residents at Bower Court, a retirement housing scheme in Newark, as part of the British Nutrition Foundation’s Health Eating Week.

The event, which was organised by Newark and Sherwood District Council in partnership with Newark College, the county’s integrated wellbeing service Your Health Your Way and Morrison’s, hoped to bring generations together while helping students with their studies.

Students from Newark College made 33 healthy meals and delivered them to the residents. The meals included a spinach, sweet potato and lentil dahl and a couscous salad with a fresh lemon and honey dressing.

Some of the fresh ingredients used by students were donated by the councils’ Crop Drop initiative, where allotment holders donate surplus fruit and vegetables to vulnerable families and school initiatives.

Additional food was donated by Morrison’s supermarket and Brackenhurst Campus at Nottingham Trent University, Southwell.

The dishes were also served at Newark College campus, where students could try them for themselves at no cost.

Student Joe Clark, who is studying media at Newark College, said: “There’s lots of processed food out there in supermarkets that’s full of chemicals so it’s nice to try something fresh and homemade.

“It’s something really to try and even if you’re not keen on eating that type of food it’s worth giving it a go.”

Student Chardonay Cull, who is undertaking a catering course at Newark College and helped with making the meals, said: “The experience I’ve learnt today has really helped me in thinking of what I want to do in the future. I enjoy making this kind of stuff and it’s really creative and keeps your mind off things.

“It’s great to see the reaction of people when they taste my food and really makes me happy.”

Coun Tim Wendels, chairman of the Homes and Communities Committee at the district council, added: “This project benefits so many people and brings a smile to your face.

“Young students at Newark College have had a chance to work on their culinary skills and make food for a live audience, residents at Bower Court can taste some amazing food and engage with younger people, and allotment owners as part of our Crop Drop initiative can feel reassured that their produce goes to great causes such as this.

“I am absolutely delighted that we have been able to organise this initiative and its incredibly rewarding to see the positive outcomes of this project. I hope many more joint collaborations such as this continue in our local community.”

Newark College lead in education and training, Penny Taylor, said: “We were delighted to be involved in this project, as it highlights the relevance of the curriculum offered at Newark College and the impact it can have in the local community.

“This was great experience for the catering students to be involved in the planning, organising, cooking and delivery of the food as it creates a real life working experience for them.

“The students who ate the food were delighted to receive free food and this allowed us to explore with them the benefits of health eating and how this impacts health and wellbeing, as well as learning.”

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