Over the summer holidays, we hosted six cookery sessions across Halton, welcoming 45 families, including 33 children, for a fun, hands-on experience that brought people together through food and learning.

Delivered by Fresh Beginnings and funded by Halton Housing, the sessions taught families how to make sausage rolls and cookies from scratch. Everyone went home with a food parcel containing the ingredients to recreate the recipes, plus cooking scales and measuring spoons to support continued learning at home.

The response was overwhelmingly positive — 87% of attendees said they felt encouraged to cook from fresh at home, 100% said their children enjoyed the session, and 93% said they enjoyed it themselves.

Many described it as a valuable bonding experience, with one parent sharing:

“My son loved making the cookies and sausage rolls — it was the most independent he’s been in the kitchen as he has SEN. He loved sharing his food with his grandparents.”

Others praised the sessions for being fun, free, and family-friendly:

“It was a fantastic session which exceeded my expectations throughout.”
“It was nice to have something for free that appealed to the kids.”
“Lovely cooking session with my daughter, but more importantly a bonding experience.”

“These sessions were about more than just food — they were about connection, confidence, and community,” said Amy Harrison, Social Impact and Engagement Officer. “We’re proud to have created a space where families could learn, laugh, and grow together. A huge thank you to Travis Perkins for part-funding this initiative.”