A charity in Dorset has been helping people with visual impairments enjoy healthy cooking sessions. The Dorset Friendly Food Club hosted members of the Dorset Blind Association (DBA) for four weekly sessions at Boscombe Baptist Church, where participants prepared and cooked simple, wholesome dishes from scratch.
Participants Share Their Experiences
Eileen Bultz, aged 93, who has glaucoma and lives alone, said: "It can be very difficult to cook with a sight impairment, and sometimes dangerous. I have previously set my hair alight trying to figure out whether the gas was on. Shopping for food is also a challenge. I can't see what's on the shelf in front of me, and that affects how much I want to cook and how adventurous I want to be with ingredients. It has been great to come and cook with people who all have the same kind of issues as me. I have really enjoyed what we've cooked so far, and having the Friendly Food Club tutors here has really made me feel supported."
Sandy Woosnam added: "Cooking is terribly difficult for me. I use torches to see whether things like the oven are on, and I have accidentally cut myself many times. This course has come at a perfect time for me as I also have a problem with my heart and need to be more careful of what I eat. Being able to learn to cook very simple, but healthy recipes has been brilliant."
Davie Morrison, who has no sight in one eye and limited sight in the other, said the course has made him more confident: "The Friendly Food Club has made this all as easy for us as possible. The recipes which are healthy and tasty are suitable for one pot; the recipes cards are in large type and on a yellow background. Even the location is bright and well lit. I would love to do more cooking now and would recommend this course to anyone with a sight impairment."
Kathy Smith agreed: "I really feel like I belong here. I lost my confidence in cooking when my sight deteriorated. I started to eat more ready prepared meals, but I became bored with that. This came just at the right time and has awakened my interest in cooking again. I love the social contact as well, and our Friendly Food Club tutors Janice, Irene, and Andria have made it all so easy and fun. I have enjoyed every minute of it."
Support from Organisations
Grainne Curry, a community support worker for Dorset Blind Association, said: "We are extremely grateful to the Friendly Food Club for providing this course and to The Ulverscroft Foundation for kindly sponsoring it. Sight impairment can be so isolating for people. Just to be able to come here and be in a group chatting and learning together has just been fabulous. People have come along who haven't felt confident to cook for a long time and are now starting to regain that confidence. Other people have found skills that they didn't know, or maybe thought that they could never have. It's just been a great experience for everyone."
FFC lead tutor Andria Glasgow said: "Many of us take cooking for granted, but for people with impairments it can be difficult, dangerous, or even impossible. Our research has shown us that simple measures such as choosing plain instead of visually confusing patterned tablecloths, using large print recipe cards, and enabling cooks to perform hand-washing with a bowl at their cooking station, can make a world of difference to someone’s cooking experience. The right equipment and technology are also key. Rice cookers, talking scales, visual timers and smoke alarms and brightly coloured, non-slip cutting boards are all very helpful, and knowing that one of us is on hand to assist makes all the difference. We are thrilled to be able to offer a range of new cooking sessions for people with sight, hearing and learning impairments which have been designed with the help of the very people we are seeking to support. The feedback so far has been incredibly positive, and we would now like to hear from more support organisations which would like us to provide courses for their members."
Robert Gent, Chair of The Ulverscroft Foundation, said: "We are pleased to support Dorset Blind Association's Friendly Food Club cookery sessions to enable members to learn essential skills for a healthier life."
For more information on the Friendly Food Club’s accessible cooking sessions and to find out more about how your organisation can host or sponsor a session, please email Liz@thefriendlyfoodclub.org. The sessions take place in Dorset.
