This Foster Care Fortnight™ (13 – 26 May), COLLEEN RAMSEY, launched Foster Wales’ celeb-backed cookbook BRING SOMETHING TO THE TABLE, with a special cookery workshop for young care-experienced people.
For the launch, Foster Wales – the national network of local authority fostering services – asked celebrity cook Colleen, to host a workshop at Fitzalan High School to help teach young care experienced people how to cook a meal from scratch and learn vital cooking skills to take into their future independent lives.
Colleen, who created ‘Colleen’s ‘everything’ sauce’, especially for the Bring something to the table book told us…..
“I love this recipe because it’s the perfect base for so many dishes and is endlessly customisable. You can teach it to children from a young age, and once they’re older, you can let them lead in transforming this basic recipe into a deliciously impressive meal!
My foster parents helped me find a passion for food and now I’m a professional chef”
The cookbook was developed after research by Foster Wales found 3 in 5 (61%) foster carers had fostered at least one child experiencing food insecurity and 1 in 4 faced challenges when cooking quick and healthy meals for the children in their care.
Bring something to the table is packed with over 20 recipes, from celebrities including athlete and foster care campaigner, Fatima Whitbread, foster carers comedian Kiri Pritchard Mclean and GBBO contestant Jon Jenkins, alongside MasterChef Winner, Wynne Evans; Young MasterChef Judge, Poppy O’Toole.
Rhys, a care experienced person, who is now a professional chef, and provided the dessert recipe – an Oreo brownie recipe – for the cookery workshop told us….
“I first learned to cook through my foster carers. When I first arrived at their house, aged 15, I knew very little about cooking. They supported me in preparing meals for the family, building my confidence and knowledge. I found a passion for food and went on to train as a chef. After working full-time in kitchens, I now create home-baked desserts, like these luxurious Oreo brownies.”
The cookbook all forms part of Foster Wales’ wider ambition to recruit more foster carers by sharing real-life fostering moments – like mealtime memories – which support a young person through local authority fostering.
In Wales, there are more than 7,000 children in care, but only 3,800 foster families. Foster Wales has set out with the bold aim of recruiting over 800 new foster families by 2026, to provide welcoming homes for local children and young people.
Minister for Social Care, Dawn Bowden, who attended the cooking workshop and launch event, added……
“This heartwarming cookbook has recipe contributions from across Wales, which highlight our strong and dedicated fostering community.
I want all children in foster care in Wales to have stable lives, to have trusted relationships, to feel cared for and to benefit from high quality foster care for as long as they need it. Recruiting more foster carers is crucial to this.
This Foster Care Fortnight, I hope people recognise the qualities they already possess to support young people and look into fostering with their local authority.”
The cookbook will be distributed to foster carers across Wales and a digital version can be downloaded from HERE
To find out more about becoming a foster carer in Wales visit HERE
Celebrity recipes
- Colleen’s ‘everything’ sauce – Colleen Ramsey, presenter, and author of the bilingual family cookbook, Bywyd a Bwyd – Life Through Food
- Wynne’s family style spaghetti – Wynne Evans, MasterChef Winner
- Poppy’s sausage and vegetable traybake – Poppy O’Toole, Young MasterChef Judge
- Jon’s Pasteis de Nata – Jon Jenkins, Great British Bake off star and foster carer, Newport
- Fatima’s family cottage pie – Fatima Whitebread, MBE, 2x Olympic medallist, world javelin champion, world record holder, and fostering campaigner.
- Chicken Kabsa – Kiri Pritchard Mclean is a comedian and foster carer in Anglesey. Her stand-up show, Peacock, shares her journey to become a foster carer.
Care leavers
- Brecon Bolognese – Sophia, illustrator, and care leaver, Cardiff
- June’s Cheesecake – John, founder of the Care Experience Network, Care Experienced Specialist for the John Lewis Partnership, a care leaver, and Independent local authority foster carer panel member.
- Ryan’s Fishcakes – Ryan, aspiring chef, and care experienced young person
- Tuna pasta bake – Sam*, Care leaver, and member of Voices from Care Cymru – a group which brings young people together throughout Wales, who are, or have been looked after. Any young person, who is or has been looked after in Wales, can become a member.
- Oreo Brownies – Rhys, professional chef, and care leaver
Foster Carers
- Grandma’s corned beef hash – Ian, foster carer, Conwy
- Nan’s cheese and bacon pie – Emily, foster carer, Newport
- Jenny’s Homemade Pizza – Jenny, foster carer, Flintshire
- Pete’s special pasta – Pete and Vonda, foster Carers, Denbighshire
- Root Vegetable Crumble – Ian, foster carer, Neath Port-Talbot
- Hidden veg gravy – Christine and Mike, foster carers, Vale of Glamorgan
- Vicky’s Yorkshire puddings – Vicky, foster carer, Bridgend
- West Indian Dumplings – Sue, foster carer, Ceredigion
- Thai Green Curry – Tracey, foster carer, Neath Port Talbot
- Chicken Kadhai (Special occasion curry) – Kanu, foster carer, Gwynedd
- Eid Dinner (Akhni fulab (lamb pilau) Pudding Kheer) – Claire, foster carer, Cardiff
