Penne for your thoughts? Bristol care home residents bring back favourite recipes with students

A poll of 2,000 adults carried out by Care UK, which operates Trymview Hall on Southmead Road, found almost two-thirds (65%) of the nation no longer use family recipes that have been handed down through the generations, however, 43% of people surveyed are keen to save them.

In a bid to prevent family recipes passed down through generations from being lost forever, Care UK has launched a free downloadable recipe book – Recipes to remember, which features recipes shared by care home residents across the UK. From food enjoyed during World War Two to quirky desserts from the 1970s, the book includes residents’ favourite foods, alongside recipes tailored to support older people by Care UK’s award-winning chefs.

Keen to keep their recipes bubbling away in Bristol for many years to come, residents from Trymview Hall have rolled up their sleeves and donned their aprons to team up with students from Ashton Park School to show just how tasty their food favourites from the past are.

89-year-old Dorothy, and her sister, Betty, aged 93, who both live at Trymview Hall spent time teaching the students how to make their special bread and butter pudding. A recipe passed down from their mother, the sisters would make the dessert as a treat for their own children – who have continued the tradition as they grew older for their own families.

Betty said: “We had such fun sharing how we used to measure out the ingredients and the girls were very enthusiastic. The key to this recipe was in the quality of the ingredients.”

Nicole Anderson, Home Manager at Trymview Hall, said: “We’ve certainly been whipping up some treats here at Trymview Hall as we headed to the kitchen to revisit residents’ food favourites from decades gone by.

“Regardless of age, food plays an important part in all of our lives, and there’s something special about the way the senses have the ability to evoke happy memories and emotions – which is why keeping old family recipes bubbling away and sharing them with younger generations is so important.

“It was fantastic to welcome pupils from Ashton Park School for an afternoon spent cooking! Everyone had a great time talking about their favourite foods – and getting to try the baked treats was the cherry on the cake!”

To find out more about Care UK’s Recipes to remember initiative or to download your copy of the recipe book, please visit: careuk.com/recipes-to-remember

For more information on Trymview Hall, please call Customer Relations Manager, Nicola Wolff-Donitz, on 0117 911 6989 or email [email protected]

Trymview Hall is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, dementia and short-term respite care. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hair salon and café.