Making the move from Food Support to Food Independence
We were delighted to welcome Tia from Easy TZ Meals, who led a hands-on cooking workshop for six SCM Marketplace members. It was a huge success! Together, they transformed fresh, surplus ingredients into three delicious dishes: a crunchy celeriac slaw, a colourful roasted vegetable pasta and a refreshing potato and mint salad.
Every ingredient used during the session came directly from our Marketplace shop, which is supplied by The Felix Project, a fantastic charity that rescues perfectly good food that would otherwise go to waste. Tia specialises in creating nutritious, tasty and affordable meals using surplus food, showing that eating well doesn't have to come with a high price tag.
For many people, the biggest challenge isn't just buying affordable food, it's knowing what to do with it once they get home. One member, who rarely cooks meals from scratch, left feeling inspired to cook more, seeing that preparing a healthy meal doesn't have to be difficult or expensive and can be very enjoyable. Another member was excited to pick up new knife skills while preparing the vegetables, building confidence that they can take into their own kitchen.
But perhaps the most valuable part of the afternoon wasn't the food itself, it was the atmosphere and connection in the room. People chatted as they chopped vegetables, encouraged one another to try something new and shared ideas as the meals came together. Then everyone sat down around the table to enjoy food they had created together.
And the biggest surprise of the day?
This workshop perfectly captured what Marketplace is all about: making good food affordable, reducing food waste, building skills and helping people discover that healthy, nutritious meals can be achievable with their budget.
A huge thank you to Tia from Easy TZ Meals for such an inspiring session, and to The Felix Project for helping make it possible for people on a tight budget to access food.