WHITLEIGH COMMUNITY COOKBOOK
ThisbookwascreatedfollowingafuneventheldattheFour GreensCommunitycentre,wherepeoplefromtheWhitleigh communitygatheredwithourFoodSEqualteamtodiscuss peoples'currenteatinghabits;whattheylikeanddislikeand whattheywouldchange,iftheycould.Byholdingthiseventwe havebeenabletohearpeople’sstoriesandmemories connectedtothefoodtheyeattodayandaschildren.We talkedofrecipesthatwehavebeenusing,asdidourparents, whichmakesurethatourbudgetsdidnotmeanwesacrificed ontaste.Hencethecreationofthisbook.
Thebookisfirstlyabigthankyoutothepeoplewhoshared theirtimeandexperienceswithus,secondlyitcanprovidea windowintoourcommunitytoseewhatishappeningjust aroundthecornerandmostimportantly,whatisbeingeaten. Finally,thisbookcanbeatoolforyoutouse,asaspacetoadd yourowncreationsorfavouriterecipes…orpossiblyaspaceto jotdownideaswhenyouattendournextevent!
-Mel(CommunityFoodResearcher)
Thanks to all our supporters: Food Plymouth
FotoNow CIC Tamar Fresh Morrisons
Four Greens Community Centre
Our amazing live illustrators: Shri Gunasekara and Rebecca Smith. This work would not have been possible without all of you!
This event and book was made possible thanks to an 'Explore Award' from University of Plymouth Public Engagement.
comfort food recipes
budget recipes
quick recipes
wartime recipes
seasonal recipes
page 2
page 10
page 16
page 21
page 25
CONTENTS
Notes:
The quotes in the book have been edited, so they are not exact quotes, but they do represent what people said or wrote during the event.
This book was self-published by the FoodSEqual team on 11th November 2022
1
Rebecca Smith illustrating the event
comfort food recipes
These are recipes for those rainy or dull days, or just times when you need a bit of a hug from the inside!
“I love a roast dinner, with beef or chicken. Only now it's mostly chicken because beef is too expensive”
– Event attendee
2
illustration by Shri Gunasekara
illustration by Rebecca Smith
Ian and Guinivere's Toad in the Hole
Ingredients:
Sausages, flour, milk, eggs, salt, plus mash and veggies to eat with it.
Method:
*Turn oven on to gas mark 7 / 220 C / 200 fan.
*Put sausages in a pyrex dish and put in oven till sausages about half cooked (approx. 15 mins).
*Next make the batter; put 140g (5oz) of flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl, crack two eggs into the middle of the bowl and use a fork to beat them together.
*Gradually combine the flour and 175ml (6 fluid oz) of milk.
*Then leave to stand for 10 minutes or so.
*Take pyrex dish out of oven and carefully pour in batter.
*Put back into oven till risen and brown.
Notes: Warming and filling, everyone loves this! You could reduce the number of sausages and add stuffing balls to make it cheaper and a bit different.
3
Paula’s Pork Belly Dish
Ingredients:
Pork belly, onions, mushrooms, gravy, stock, honey or golden syrup. Serve with pasta or rice.
Method:
*Fry chopped up bits of pork belly in a saucepan.
*Add onions and mushrooms. Keep frying.
* Add gravy and stock slowly.
*Boil.
*Add a little bit of honey or golden syrup.
*Serve with pasta or rice.
Notes: This makes a really tasty meal.
If you're making this, take some notes to share!
4
Gill's Cornish Pasties
Ingredients:
8oz (225g) of Trex
1 lb (450g) of plain flour
Water, swede, onion, potato, beef skirt, salt and pepper, egg (to add a glaze if you like).
Method:
*Turn on oven to gas mark 5/ 190 C / 180 fan.
*Put flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Add Trex and rub it into the flour with your fingertips. Add a small amount of water till it combines into a ball. Put in fridge.
*Chop swede, onion, potato, and beef skirt into small chunks. Add salt (and pepper if you like it). Get roasting tin out ready.
*Roll out pastry and put filling inside. Wet edges of pastry and seal using a fork or crimp. If you want small pasties you can cut smaller circles of pastry.
*Beat egg and brush on as a glaze (optional; if you want to)
*Cook in oven for an hour.
Notes: Make nice big pasties so they hang off each side of the plate. If you have any pastry spare, put it in the gaps around the pasties and then give it to the birds or to your little helpers if you have them (maybe add a bit of jam for them).
Tip: If you are making for children, put their initial in pastry on the top. For a cheaper version, you can use corned beef instead of skirt.
5
Paula's Top Fried Breakfast
Ingredients:
All your favourite fried breakfast ingredients, hot chilli sauce, avocado.
Method:
*Make fried breakfast from your favourite ingredients (bacon, sausage, egg, etc)
*As you heat up the beans add some hot chilli sauce to them
*Mash up an avocado and add to the plate.
Notes: Comfort on a plate! The beans are hot, but the avocado cools you down.
6
Laura's Banana Loaf
Ingredients:
3oz margarine
8oz brown sugar
3 ripe bananas
1 egg
¼ milk
¼ mixed spice
1lb plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Method:
*Turn on oven to 180C/gas 6. Grease a loaf tin.
*Put the butter and sugar in a big bowl and squidge together using wooden spoon till combined.
*Add all the other ingredients to the bowl and mix well till you have a batter.
*Put in loaf tin and bake till a skewer comes out clean.
7
Laura's Fish Cakes
Ingredients:
8oz mashed potatoes
8oz cooked or canned fish
½ tsp salt
pinch of pepper
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp onion juice
1 tsp chopped parsley
lemon juice
1 egg
crumbs
fat for frying
Method
*Put all ingredients except the fat for frying and the crumbs in a big bowl. Mix them all together till combined evenly.
8
Brenda’s Cheat Raspberry Cheesecake
Ingredients:
3 ginger biscuits
Handful raspberries
Dollop of cream (either: clotted cream, crème fraiche, or mascarpone)
Method
*Break-up ginger biscuits.
*Put the handful of raspberries on top.
*Put the cream on top
Notes: You could do this with any berries, and you can add extra yum on top with a drizzle of syrup, and/or a sprinkle of flaked almonds, hazelnuts, or coconut.
9
budget recipes
“My children will eat anything, they eat mountains of food!” – Event attendee
10
illustration by Shri Gunasekara
illustration by Rebecca Smith
Bubble and Squeak (use up leftovers)
Ingredients:
Left over veg
Mashed potato
Egg
Method:
*In a bowl mix leftover veg with mashed potato. You can add an egg to the mix if you like.
*Heat oil in frying pan. Add mash and veg mix and fry. Turn it over so it gets crispy all over.
*Serve onto warm plate.
Notes: You can fry an egg to put on top if you like.
Porridge with Marmite
Ingredients:
Porridge oats, water, marmite.
Method: Put oats in a saucepan and add water. Mix over low heat until it looks ready to eat. Add marmite and enjoy!
Notes: This makes a tasty breakfast and a good change from sweet things.
11
'Chuck it all in' - One Pot Stew
This is pretty flexible, you can pretty much chuck in whatever you’ve got. You don't need all of what's listed below, the best result is with a couple of oniony veg, a couple of root veg, and at least one of the extras.
Oniony veg: onion, spring onion, celery, leek (chop small)
Root veg: potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, turnip, carrots, swede, parsnip, cabbage (chop in 2cm pieces)
Stock (any kind), mixed with boiling water
Bay leaf, 2 – 3 depending on size of the pot
Optional Extras
Leafy veg: spinach, kale, or beetroot tops
Garlic, 1-2 tsp powder or 2-4 cloves
Herbs, any of the following will work: rosemary, thyme, mixed herbs, herbs de Provence
Pearl Barley, add at the beginning needs 40min to cook
Rich flavour: soy sauce, marmite, or worcestershire sauce
Method:
*Fry oniony veg in a bit of oil (or just a splash of water)
*Add garlic if using and fry
*Add the rest of the ingredients, apart from the leafy veg. Make sure you have enough water to cover.
*Cook for about 30 min with the lid on (until veg are soft enough)
*If using leafy veg add it in for the last 5-10 min of cooking
* Add salt and pepper to taste, serve with bread or on its own
Notes: lasts 2-3 days in fridge – can also freeze for later
12
Mel's Broccoli & Bacon Pasta
Ingredients:
Pasta (any)
Half of a broccoli, florets cut off Lardons/ cut up bacon (this can be left out for vegetarians, it's delicious without as well) butter
Cheese (ideally parmesan, but can use cheddar)
Method
*Boil some salted water and cook the broccoli as usual, when it is nearly done add the pasta and allow them to cook together. The broccoli will become very soft, but that is how it is supposed to be.
*Whilst it is cooking, fry the bacon in a frying pan in a little bit of oil until slightly crispy.
13
Take some notes to share....
"My favourite things to cook are spicy dishes like Chilli con Carne and Piri Piri chicken" - Event attendee
14
"I train for boxing so I have to eat a lot of protein all the time, lots of meat and eggs!" - Event attendee
illustration by Rebecca Smith
Holly's Veggie Quorn Chilli
Ingredients:
(serves 2-4)
300g quorn mince
2x400g tinned chopped tomatoes
1x400g kidney beans
1 large red onion
4 cloves garlic
4x vegetable oxo stock cubes
4x tbsp tomato purée
4x tsp paprika powder
2-4 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
Method:
*Fry onion in a little oil till starting to turn brown (can put on lid to sweat them if you want)
*add garlic and fry for 1-2 min
*add paprika, chilli powder and tomato purée
*add quorn mince and fry for a few minutes
*add everything else and cook for 15 min
Notes: Serve with rice, warm pitta or baked potatoes
15
quick recipes
“When my husband was alive and my children lived with me I used to cook all the time, now it's mainly easy stuff or ready meals”– Event Attendee
16
illustration by Shri Gunasekara
Gill's 'Goulash'
This can be eaten at any time of day.
Ingredients:
Tin of tomatoes, tin of baked beans, cheese and toast.
Method:
*Put a tin of beans and a tin of tomatoes into a frying pan.
*Mix and cook.
*Grate some cheese over the top and cook till cheese is melted.
*Eat on toast.
Notes: Quick and tasty. This one is a winner!
17
Juliet's Avocado on Toast
This is super quick!
Ingredients:
Avocado, toast, egg (optional), black pepper or chilli flakes (optional).
Method:
*Make toast.
*Mash an avocado in a bowl.
*Put on the toast.
*Optional: poach or fry an egg.
*Put egg on top
*add black pepper or chilli flakes (if you like).
Notes: Yummy!
18
Paula's Cherry Puffs
You don't need many ingredients to make a lovely treat. Simple is good! The idea came from Jamaican patties.
Ingredients:
Ready rolled puff pastry, tin, or jar of cherries in syrup, egg. Custard or cream go well with this.
Method:
*Turn oven to 180 degrees (375 F)
*Get ready rolled puff pastry and unroll it.
*Use a glass or cutter to cut out small circles of pastry. Put on greased baking sheet.
*Open tin or jar of cherries (black morello cherries in syrup are good) and put 3-4 cherries and some juice
19
Ian's Hashless Corned Beef
Ingredients:
Onion, corned beef, baked beans. Serve with bread and butter.
Method:
*Slice up an onion and fry in frying pan.
* Add corned beef and baked beans to the pan.
*Cook through.
*Serve with a couple of slices of bread and butter.
Notes: Quick and tasty. This will fill you up! .
20
war time recipes
Many of these recipes came from a wartime cookbook from WW2.
“When I was a child I really loved sugar, in the years after the war it was so desirable” - Event attendee
"When I first married and pregnant my mother gave me a whole homemade Nelson Square tray bake and I got to eat most of it" – Event attendee
21
Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients:
8oz plain flour (225g)
2oz sugar (56g)
3oz fat (lard or butter) (85g)
4 teaspoons of baking powder
½ a teaspoon of salt
1 x egg
½ a tablespoon of milk
Method:
*Heat oven to 200 C.
*Put flour in a bowl and add the baking powder and salt.
*Rub fat into flour using your fingertips.
Notes: This recipe uses very little sugar compared to present day baking recipes, but you don’t notice! Why is it called strawberry shortcake when there are no strawberries in it? Maybe the holes in the top were like the seeds on a strawberry?
Was this something you might have said to children?
If you use lard for this recipe you might need a shorter cooking time and the result is a denser biscuit.
*S 22
Old English Cider Cake
Ingredients:
8oz self-raising flour (225g). Pinch of salt.
5oz margarine (140g)
5oz caster sugar (140g)
2 eggs.
7 and a half tablespoons of cider
Method:
*Heat oven to gas mark 4/ 180 C / 170 fan.
*Grease cake tin.
*Cream sugar and margarine together in a bowl, add flour, pinch of salt, cider, and eggs.
*Mix well.
*Put in tin and bake till golden and a skewer comes out clean (sorry, I never time anything!).
Notes: People liked this cake, it's not too sweet and very easy to make.
23
This is not from the wartime recipe books, but it was a popular recipe during the war time as it is good for using up scraps!
Ingredients:
250g stale bread (no crusts) or stale cake (remove icing)
300ml water or milk
1 tbsp rum or brandy
50g butter (melted) or veg oil
50g sugar (soft brown if possible, for colouring)
1 tbsp orange marmalade
1 egg (beaten)
2tsp mixed spice
85g sultanas and 85g raisins (or 170g mixed fruit)
Grated fruit rind if you have it (lemon and/or orange)
Pinch of nutmeg (if you have it)
method:
*Break bread into pieces and soak in liquids (milk or water; and brandy or rum).
*Preheat oven to 180 degrees, and grease an overproof dish with butter or vegetable oil.
*Melt butter and marmalade together, let cool and then add to bread along with, sugar, egg, and spice; beat with a fork till smooth.
*Stir in sultanas, raisins and grated rind; then tip the mixture into the ovenproof dish.
* Grate/sprinkle nutmeg on top and bake for 60-90 minutes.
*Remove from oven, sprinkle sugar on whilst still hot.
24
Nelson square tray bake
seasonal recipes
Joanna's Wild Garlic Soup
Simple, nutritious soup, that everybody loves! This is a perfect combination of potatoes and seasonal greens. Fresh tasting and satisfying makes a perfect meal for beginners foragers and even beginners cooks, as it so easy to make. Raw wild garlic is very pungent, but once it’s cooked it so delicate. Wild garlic leaves are edible in all stages of their maturity, but they’re the best when young. You can forage these around Whitleigh in April/May each year, but do your research first!
Ingredients:
4 - 5 medium potatoes
1 medium onion
A bunch of fresh wild garlic leaves (increase amount of leaves if you dare!)
2 l vegetable stock
A large spoonful of butter, or olive oil for a healthier version. Crème fraiche (you can also use a vegan option) Salt and pepper.
Method:
*Chop onion and fry in olive oil until soft (in a medium pan)
*Roughly dice the potatoes and add to fried onion
*Cover everything in vegetable stock and cook until the potatoes are soft.
*Roughly chop wild garlic and add to the pan
*Let it cook for 5 mins and blend it with a hand blender for the preferred consistency.
*Add salt and pepper to taste; you can also add a spoonful of crème fraiche.
25
Joanna's Stinging Nettle Soup
There is nothing more satisfying rather than having a nutritious soup with ingredients that you foraged for yourself. Stinging nettle soup is a fantastic addition to the menu for everyone who would like to boost their iron level or add some nutrients into their diet. Nettles have been used as a natural remedy in many cultures for thousands of years to help detoxify the body, regulate hormones, act as an antiinflammatory, help with circulation and allergies. Best foraged as young shoots late Feb to early June, and only picking the top few sets of leaves.
Ingredients:
2 l of vegetable stock
1 leek
1 medium onion
2 medium carrots (roughly chopped)
3-4 medium potatoes (roughly chopped)
3 tbs of cooking oil
15-20 fresh nettle tops
Sour cream or crème fraiche
Salt and pepper
Method:
*Dice the onion and gently fry it on the cooking oil in the pan.
*Once the onion is soft, add the rest of the vegetables
*Cook for about 15 mins until the potatoes’ chunks are soft
*While it’s cooking chop your nettles (you can quickly steam them or pour boiling water over before, so they lose their stinging power)
*Add nettles and boil for a couple of minutes.
*Blend the soup and add salt and pepper to taste.
*Serve on its own or add a dollop of cream.
26
Yve's Apple Vinegar
Apple season! Once a year apples grow all over the place, if you can find your local apple trees you can pick many. But what about the bits of the apple you don't use for your crumbles or apple sauces? Here's an idea to minimise waste and maximise what you get from each apple. You can do this with apples bought from the shop too.
Method:
1.
Peel and core the apples. Use in your favourite recipe or try the Cider Apple Cake on page 23.
2. Keep the peels and cores. I remove stalks, pips and damaged bits.
3. Put in a glass container and add a little sugar and cover with water.
27
4. Leave space at the top.
5. Cover with a cloth to keep it clean and tie string or put an elastic band around the rim.
6. Place in a dish and leave on the kitchen worktop or somewhere at room temperature.
7. Stir daily (it is best to use something that is not made of metal, a chopstick works well) for about 2 - 3 weeks or until there are no bubbles.
8. Strain to remove the apple and return to the cleaned jar with the cloth over the top and leave for another 3 - 4 weeks without stirring.
9. When it smells like vinegar, it is vinegar. Pour into a bottle and add to your recipes, use for cleaning or look for the 1001 other ways to use it. Try the Internet or your library.
Notes: Make sure all your equipment is really clean. If it smells funky something has gone wrong. Throw it out and try again. You may see a layer of something jelly like floating on top. This is a sign of a good vinegar!
Tip: Try using other fruits or flowers!
28
Haveyoubrowsedthepages?Didyoureadeveryword?Ordid youskipstraighttotheback?
Todo:
Therearelotsofspacesleftforyoutonoteanychangesasyou personalisetherecipes–ortowriteyourownrecipesfrom scratch.Notedownrecipesthathavebeensharedwithyou.
Itcanbehelpful,whensharingrecipesandideastomakeanote ofthepersonwhoshareditwithyouanditsgreattolookbackon inthefuture.
Andallthatremainsistogivesomethingago,learnfromyour successesandfailures,andtosharewithothers.
Goonthen,whatareyouwaitingfor?
-Yve(CommunityFoodResearcher)
Ifyouareinterestedtofindoutmoreaboutthecommunityfood researchersinWhitleigh,givefeedbackontherecipesorbook,or collaboratewithus,pleasecheckout:
https://foodplymouth.org/project/foodsequal/ orcontactfoodsequal@plymouth.ac.uk
With sincere thanks to those who contributed recipes: Laura Dunn, Joanna Ruminska, Holly, Brenda, Gillian, Paula, Ian, Guinivere and Juliet
The event was created and delivered by Mel, Yve and Julia with the support of the FoodSEqual Team: Hannah, Louise, and Lisa
29
Everyone eats! Do you eat? Of course you do. Everyone eats. So you have a story! Love cooking? Hate it? Sometimes? There’s your story!
Recently there was an event (at Four Greens) to share stories – the where, why, who, how and when of the food experiences of Whitleigh people.
We scribbled on the table cloths, we drew, we talked, we brought along recipes – in books, in magazines and in our heads… all while drinking tea and arguing the jam or cream first debate for our scones. We shared recipes reserved for special occasions, for sharing, one pot cooking, comfort eating and making frugal meals.
This book aims to share with you our favourite and some fantastic recipes. Check out the strawberry shortcake which doesn’t actually contain strawberries, or any other fruit for that matter. It is one of a selection in a war-time cookery book and tastes delicious. And then there is the cider apple cake which doesn’t contain cider. We later had time to try them, delicious!
Enjoy the photos, artwork and recipes. Check out the notes at the back of the book suggesting how to make the most of it. Even better, how about trying a recipe or two and sharing the results with the FoodSEqual group at one of the Monday breakfasts? You never know, perhaps someone else will do the same?
With genuine thanks for those who shared their time, thoughts or skills to the project. See more of our work at:
https://foodplymouth.org/project/foodsequal/
