Black History Month Family Kitchen primary programme

Tuesday 27 September, 4, 11 and 18 October from 4 - 5.30pm

Hilldrop Community Centre, Community Lane, Hilldrop Road, London N7 0JE

Join us for a 4-week Black History Month Family Kitchen primary programme to cook some of the popular and less well known African and Afro-Caribbean dishes. The programme is open to families in Islington with children aged 5 - 11 years.

Please complete the booking form for a place and we will get in touch to confirm. 

Junior parkrun

Every Sunday 9am at Highbury Fields and Caledonian park

Free, fun weekly 2k event for juniors (4 to 14 year olds)

Running has many benefits. Being active for 60 minutes a day, helps kids develop coordination and motor skills and active children are happier and more resilient. Enjoyment is key to being active regularly by taking part in parkrun, running becomes a social event. 

Some children want to run, others walk, skip, hop or jump; some go fast, some don't finish, which is all fine! The most important thing is that children have fun and leave with a smile. And if you like to, you can run too. 

Although it is free, please register your child before their first time and make sure your child brings the scannable copy of the barcode with them every time. 

What can I do to feed my family healthy meals when the cost of living keeps on going up? 

Many people struggle with the cost of food going up and energy prices going through the roof. Below are some tips to help you make your money go further when feeding the family

• Get help to buy food and milk. You maybe entitled to Health Start vouchers to help buy healthy food and milk, if you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4. Check if you are eligible. 
• Benefit from the free school meals in Islington primary schools, saving over £390 per year. They are healthy, balanced and nutritious and can help your child to learn to eat new dishes. If your child is at secondary school, check if (s)he is eligible for free school meals. 
• Before going shopping, sit down to plan a menu for six days and make a shopping list accordingly and stick to it. On day seven, use up all the leftovers and create something new or serve leftovers as a meze or tapas. Across the year this saves you 7 weeks' worth of shopping.
• Make changes to what you buy. Downshift to value brands (for food as well as for cleaning products and toiletries), often it is the same product just in different packaging. Buy frozen veg and fruit rather than fresh. It will last longer and you can use the exact amount needed reducing waste.
• Cook from from scratch to reduce the cost of a meal. Cook double the amount and freeze (make sure to clearly label and date the food). That way you can get a meal ready quickly on days that you are busy or too tired to cook, reducing the temptation of convenience food or a take away. 
• Reduce the amount of meat and fish, by adding lentils, beans or soya mince to meat dishes such as spaghetti Bolognese or casseroles and increase vegetarian meals across the week.  
• Reduce the amount of food that goes mouldy or out of date before you have had the chance to eat it by knowing how to store it properly. 
• Reduce the amount of energy used when cooking :
  • When using an oven, always fill your oven when using it. If you've got it on for a roast, do extra vegetables to eat throughout the week, or pop in a loaf of soda bread. Switch the oven off 15 minutes before it's done and leave it to finish cooking without opening the door.
  • Let food cool down completely before putting it in the fridge. Defrost food by placing it in the fridge for a few hours.  
  • Use hot water from the kettle when cooking vegetables, potatoes, pasta and rice. Although don't waste energy by boiling more water than you need.  
  • Air fryer, slow cooker and microwave all use much less energy than an oven or hob. 

Leftover rice ideas

Make the most of leftover rice by using it in dishes such as fried rice, tuna rice salad, or burrito. You may even want to double the amount of rice you cook to make sure you have leftovers.  

However, if you can't use the leftover rice the following day, freeze the rice by placing it in a freezer safe container and place it in cold water to cool it down quickly. Label and date the container and put it into the freezer within an hour of cooking. Before using the rice, defrost the rice in the fridge and then reheat it until it’s piping hot before serving it straightaway.

Free or low cost food in Islington - find local food services, emergency support, food growing initiatives and events to take part in. 

SHINE (Seasonal Health Interventions Network) makes sure that you get all the help you need to stay warm, increase income and stay healthy in your home. SHINE gives practical advice and refers to schemes that reduce the risks associated with hot or cold weather.

Cooking on a bootstrap is the website by award-winning cookery writer and anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe who writes from her own experience as a single mum on benefits. Each recipe is costed from major supermarkets to encourage people to cook at home and to cook simply, cheaply and to incorporate more vegetables and plant-based foods on a budget. 

Love food hate waste shows that by doing some easy practical everyday things in the home we can all waste less food, which will benefit our purse and the environment too.