A kinder kind of cookbook
By Jill Dando News
Every book shop has a section heaving with recipe books, most of them written by celebrity chefs. This one is different, in a heart-warming way.
The Kinder Cookbook came about when a regional building society launched a campaign to tackle food poverty on its patch.
The Cumberland Building Society, which has branches in Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland and southwest Scotland, has always tried to act ethically and usually gives 1.5 percent of its profits to good causes.
Just over a year ago, it identified food poverty as a real scourge and, in response, set up the Kinder Kind of Kitchen initiative.
Working with the food charity FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria, the Cumberland’s initial funding of £250,000 supported 52 community food projects, serving the equivalent of 577,047 meals and diverting 242 tonnes of food – that would otherwise have gone to waste – to people in need.
As well as putting food on plates, the project energised an army of helpers including Cumberland colleagues who get paid time off to volunteer. The Kinder Cookbook sprung from the feel-good enthusiasm the project generated.
Des Moore, chief executive of the Cumberland, explained the thinking behind it.
He said: “The Kinder Cookbook is a testament to the power of kindness. Kindness is in our nature at The Cumberland. It shapes everything we do.
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“We’ve been proud to help support the tireless efforts locally to redistribute surplus food to those in need. We’ve seen the difference it makes to those facing food poverty in our communities, which we believe is fundamentally important to tackle in the region we serve.
“The Kinder Cookbook tells this story and celebrates the way sharing food can bring people together in challenging circumstances. It features recipes lovingly contributed by people in our communities, from food banks to community kitchens and everything in between.
“With each dish, we are reminded of the profound impact of coming together to share food.
Whether it's a nourishing meal shared with loved ones or a warm bowl of soup available to a stranger in need, these recipes are a celebration of how food connects us all.”
Alongside each dish is a backstory for its creator.
They include a recipe for Ukrainian borscht from Anna Zhuzha, a refugee from the war in Ukraine, now living in Cockermouth on the edge of the Lake District, who dreams of the day she can return home.
Neil McLaughlin, who lives in a homeless hostel in West Cumbria, shares his late nan’s recipe for tattie pot – a Cumbrian classic – which he cooks for the other residents at least once a week.
And Diane Johnston, who volunteers at a foodbank in Carlisle that she once relied on to feed herself and her teenage daughter, offers a cheap, filling and nutritious bean and tomato soup recipe from store cupboard staples.
There are many more stories in the same vein.
You can download The Kinder Cookbook free at: https://www.cumberland.co.uk/kinderkitchens/cookbook
Des added: “As you explore the pages of The Kinder Cookbook, I invite you to not only savour the delicious flavours but also to reflect on the people who have shared their personal stories, revealing the significance of these recipes and their contributions to our local community food projects.
“Together, let us continue to cultivate kindness, one recipe at a time.”
The Cumberland, meanwhile, has just pledged another £250,000 to continue the Kinder Kind of Kitchen project for a second year.
This time some of the money will go to FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland to extend its reach to another part of the Cumberland’s territory.
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