Participants on Wolves Foundation’s Head 4 Health project turned Masterchefs recently as they teamed up with Wolves’ head chef and official catering partners to rustle up a lovely two course dinner.
It was the Wolves’ equivalent of the great Molineux bake-off as the participants, who attend sessions to improve their health and wellbeing, were put through their culinary paces by Wolves Head Chef Luke Hitchins, from Levy UK.
Having worked hard to produce a chicken dinner followed by apple crumble, the group was then able to enjoy the “fruits of their labours” by sitting down to eat together.
This week is International Stress Awareness Week, and the cooking session offered a reminder that Head 4 Health gives participants the opportunity to get together and share in activities to help reduce stress and produce a positive outlook.
Linking up with Levy was the idea of Wolves Foundation’s Senior Health Officer Megan Walters, who joined Health Officer Steve Maiden in joining fellow ‘chefs’ at the session!
“It was a really excellent and worthwhile session and one which everybody bought into,” Steve explained.
“With Head 4 Health we are always looking at trying different activities and cooking is something which can be really relaxing, taking time to forget about everything else and preparing a meal and then being able to enjoy the fruits of your labours afterwards.
“Luke was tremendous with the amount of prep work he did for the whole project, it was second to none and we can’t thank him enough.
“We started with a video talking about food and why it is important to eat healthily, and, what is particularly important with the current cost of living challenges, it was also a really good exercise in how to make the very most of the food at our disposal.
“Some of the participants don’t really cook that much so it was great for them to give it a try and, like I say, everyone bought into it and had a really enjoyable time.”
The activity took place in the kitchen of the WV1 Bar and Restaurant, and was enjoyed by both male and female participants from Head 4 Health.
“On behalf of Levy, we were delighted to welcome the group from Head 4 Health for a really enjoyable morning,” said Luke.
“It was great to be able to pass on some tips and advice about healthy eating, and to then work together to produce a chicken dinner and apple crumble which we were able to sit down and enjoy afterwards.
“Although cooking is what we do for a living, and sometimes it can be a pressurised environment when you are catering for the numbers we do here at Wolves, preparing a meal from start to finish is something which is always a rewarding experience.
“It is an activity which I think people can use to really switch off from the stresses and strains of everyday life, and hopefully the session gave the Head 4 Health participants a few ideas which they can take into their own cooking back at home.”
