Get Started for Christmas with a Cooking Club

‘Thank You' Project launched

The Irish Hospice Foundation has launched a very special fundraising initiative - the 'Thank You' project - involving a beautifully produced 'gratitude journal' and a range of very original thank-you cards, all leading up to Ireland's first ever National Thank-You Day, which will take place on Thursday, 25th November. Log on to www.Irish-Hospicefoundation.ie to have a look in more detail about this very special project.

So I was thinking what a lovely idea this is and how great would it be to share a meal with friends 1 month before our Mad Christmas Season. Keep it very simple by using the old Cooking Club model which began in Italy where many villages, towns and even cities shared communal cooking facilities. You could also say that we had our own model of it here in Ireland where Grandparents, Parents & Kids lived closely together in citiestown/villages or even on the same Farm and they would come together to make food from the harvest chutneys &jams or Sunday lunch and then the annual project of the Christmas cakes, puddings& mince pies.

Now many of us live far away from our families and find it difficult to cook other than for our everyday meals. Bringing a group of friends together to share the planning, prep, cooking & eating!!! Is such a fun way to spend time cooking & you also learn from others...

Produce based Cooking Clubs....

How they work is that you get a group of people together and 1 person volunteers their kitchen each time you meet. You choose what you wish to produce,

Some clubs meet once a week and cook batches of soups and casseroles for the week.

Other clubs meet once a month and produce food for their freezers.

While others go down the 'chutneys, jams & sauces' route. These can then either be used as presents or for personal use.

Its also a FUN way to make Christmassy Stuff llike Christmas Puddings, Christmas Cakes & Mince pies.

The costs are divided evenly between members with either one person doing the shopping or the list is split between members.

These cooking clubs are great at getting people together, sharing recipes, shopping & cooking tips and are a great way to spend a cold wet day in the company of likeminded foodie people.