Showcase: Real Food Works
Real Food Works began life as a not-for-profit community project Wansbeck Real Food in 2005, under funding from Wansbeck Council and Northumberland Care Trust, with the aim of making affordable, locally sourced produce accessible to the community of Wansbeck. In 2008, Real Food Works was incorporated as an independent social enterprise that, through education and awareness-raising, aims to empower people to improve their health by improving their diet. The enterprise now operates across the North East, generates a revenue of £60,000 per year and has, to date, engaged with over 30,000 people to help them improve their diet.
The Northumberland based enterprise provides a range of innovative training and education programmes in cooking skills to a variety of groups and organisations across the region, seeking to educate communities to regain control or their health and diet. “We feel that in recent years control, with regards to diet, has been handed over to convenient takeaways, fast food and ready meals – to food manufacturers who have little concern for the health of their consumers. Real Food Works aims to teach people that if they want to be healthy, they need to make their own food. We teach and empower people how to take back control of their diet and health”, says David Malone, Director of Real Food Works.
The enterprises’ ‘Eat Well 4 Less’ programme teaches parents and adults how to save money while eating healthier, covering topics such as healthy recipes, menu planning and budgeting. ‘Eat Well 4 Less’ recognises that many people find the term ‘healthy eating’ boring, intimidating and costly, and that many parents can feel threatened by the realisation that they are not feeding their children healthy food – both of which can make them put up barriers to learning about healthy food. Through ‘Eat Well 4 Less’ Real Food Works aims to break down these barriers by emphasising the ease and cost-efficiency of healthy eating.
Real Food Works’ ‘Big Cooks and Little Cooks’ programme involves the enterprise going into schools, bringing children and parents together, to provide a joint cooking and food sharing experience. The programme aims to address the issue that while schools do a great job of teaching kids awareness of healthy food, this information is not always passed on to parents. ‘Big Cooks and Little Cooks’ provides a fun experience for parents and their children, showing parents that their kids are willing to try healthy foods and inspires them to try recipes they have learned through the programme at home. “I feel much more confident about being able to provide healthier food for my family”, said a young mother from Ashington after attending a ‘Big Cooks and Little Cooks’ course.
Both the ‘Eat Well 4 Less’ and ‘Big Cooks and Little Cooks’ programmes employ accessible and easy microwave cooking methods – a unique aspect of Real Food Works. The enterprise utilises the fact that microwave cooking is attractive and accessible to many who may already use it to re-heat meals, and highlights the fact that microwave cooking is actually the healthiest method of cooking vegetables in terms of retaining nutrients and vitamins. “We are in fact”, says David, “the only enterprise that promotes healthy living by using microwave cooking”.
Real Food Works’ ‘Cool Food Dudes’ programme provides practical cooking demonstrations and sample tasting to groups and organisations and has demonstrated at large scale events including the food and drink festival EAT! NewcastleGateshead. Real Food Works also works in partnership with North Eats England Farmers Market, using ‘Cool Food Dudes’ to raise the profile of local farmers produce at farmer’s market events, selecting produce from stalls and preparing meals for customers to sample.
A recent addition to Real Food Works is its Smoothie Bike – a bike which when pedalled activates a blender which makes healthy smoothie drinks. The Smoothie Bike has proved a popular and fun method of highlighting the link between healthy living and exercise at various events, including NESEP’s Social Enterprise Christmas Market Place, at which MP for Newcastle North Catherine McKinnell sampled the Real Food Works Smoothie Bike produce.
Real Food Works also runs a restaurant, The Manor Kitchen in Prudhoe, which employs 10 people and generates a £100,000 annual turnover. The Manor Kitchen provides an alternative, healthier source of food for the wider community, a buffet catering service and meals for residents of supported housing facilities, whilst providing training and employment opportunities around healthy eating and cooking skills for young adults with special needs – 3 of which make up the Manors Kitchen staff team.
Real Food Works intends to develop a meals delivery service through The Manor Kitchen which will see the enterprise delivering freshly prepared meals into the community. The enterprise has further plans for development – having identified that similar health and diet issues to those in Northumberland exist south of the Tyne, in similar areas of deprivation, Real Food Works hopes to soon set up a second base in this area, extending further the reach of its services.
Though challenging times ahead face Real Food Works and the sector at large, the enterprise is confident that the appeal of its services to communities will enable Real Food Works to continue its work; “We will stick to our beliefs and principles over the coming years”, says David, “Real Food Works will take on new challenges and opportunities to diversify so we can continue to educate people about good, healthy food.”
Contact
David Malone
01670 827 955