We Cooked, We Shared, We Loved It.
Feeding Bristol
We Cooked, We Shared, We Loved it!
CfD (Centre for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People) is proud to receive a grant from Bristol City Council’s Winter Household Support Fund 2024. This fund is being distributed by Feeding Bristol; a charity that focuses on tackling food inequality amongst marginalised groups.
Click on the links for British Sign Language (BSL) videos on how to make Cucumber & Wood Ear Mushroom Salad 1) Ingredients needed, and 2) How to make the salad
Click here to go to Project Activities
Introduction
The aim of this project is to support Deaf and hard of hearing people to:
- Come together to develop an understanding of the concept of “food inequality” and how deaf people can support each other to reduce this inequality.
- Understand more about healthy eating and how this does not have to be an expensive choice.
- Reduce food waste.
- Develop their cooking skills and try out new recipes so that they can produce healthy meals working to a budget.
- Be able to access further sources of support through accessible information and events.
The project will achieve these aims by:
- Providing a series of information events and workshops for Deaf and hard of hearing people.
- Working with new partners so that we extend our reach.
- Actively encouraging other providers to create resources that are accessible to Deaf and hard of hearing people.
Overall, the theme of our project and activities will be to support Deaf and hard of hearing people to be able to eat healthily on a low budget.
CfD is grateful for receiving this funding from Feeding Bristol to enable us to create these very worthwhile and exciting events for people who would otherwise struggle to access this type of information.
Project Activities
We’ve been working in partnership with a number of organisations and chefs to create fun, accessible cooking workshops for Deaf and hard of hearing people – and the results have been incredible. These events are more than just a chance to cook. They’re a celebration of community, culture, and connection where Deaf and hard of hearing participants can try new healthy recipes, and enjoy a welcoming, inclusive kitchen space.
Each session was fully accessible with BSL Interpreters, Live Captions, and visual instructions provided to meet the communication and access needs of the participants.
Click on the links below to find out more about each session.
Cookery Session with Deaf BSL users.
Provider: Migrateful. Venue: The Mazi Project.
Monday 14th April 2025
This session the spotlight was on Oliver Cohen, a well-known member of the local Deaf Community, who shared his fond food memories of Jamaican cuisine. To reflect Oliver’s food memories, participants made a variety of Sri Lankan dishes that incorporates some ingredients used in Jamaican cooking. Some of the dishes included: Kozhi Curry, Pol Sambol and Meen Bajji. Everybody enjoyed a delicious feast at the end of the session!
Cookery Session with Elmfield School for Deaf Children.
Provider: Sarah Alder. Venue: Stoke Lodge.
Friday 25th April 2025
Students from Elmfield School had a cooking lesson with Sarah. She taught the students how to choose ingredients when cooking on a budget, using batch cooking to save time and reduce waste, and to understand why spices are helpful when cooking on a budget. Students cooked a variety of dishes, including Dhal, roasted spiced cauliflower, and chapattis. There was even enough left over to take home!
Cookery Session with Family Centre for Deaf Children (FCDC).
Provider: Greg Macalla. Venue: Avonmouth Community Centre
Saturday 10th May 2025
FCDC families joined chef Greg Macalla to make cottage cheese dumplings and shortbread biscuits. In this cooking sessions the families were able to cook together and learn a new dish to cook at home.
Cookery Session with Deaf Students from City of Bristol College.
Provider: Co-Exist Community Kitchen. Venue: Co-Exist, Easton
Friday 16th May 2025
Deaf students from City of Bristol College had a wonderful session with Co-Exist where they made smashed cucumber and walnut salad, Shakshuka – a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes and spices, and a Victoria Sponge cake with mixed berries. The students learnt about cooking healthy and affordable food – important life skills to help encourage independence.
Cookery Session with Little Hands.
Provider: Greg Macalla. Venue: Avonmouth Community Centre
Saturday 17th May 2025
Little Hands joined chef Greg Macalla to make Cottage cheese dumplings and shortbread biscuits. In this simple cooking session participants were able to have fun with low-cost ingredients and make a tasty dish.
Information Workshop and Cookery Demonstration with Deaf and Hard of Hearing People.
Provider: Yvonne Cobb. Venue: Vassall Centre
Tuesday 20th May 2025
Deaf Chef, Yvonne Cobb, treated us to an information session and cooking demonstration of her Fresh Spring Rolls! All participants received a meal kit which they could take home to recreate the dish themselves and to share with others.
Information Workshop and Cookery Demonstration with Deaf and Hard of Hearing People.
Provider: Sam Egerton-Kemp. Venue: Vassall Centre.
Friday 20th June 2025
Deaf Chef, Sam Egerton-Kemp, provided information on how to eat well on a low budget. Topics included: How to reduce waste, where to buy your ingredients and how to create a meal plan. Participants were also able to meet Rosie, Sam’s hearing assistance dog!
Cookery Session with Hard of Hearing People.
Provider: Sam Egerton-Kemp. Venue: St Werburgh City Farm.
Friday 20th June 2025
Deaf Chef, Sam Egerton-Kemp led this cooking session specifically for hard of hearing people. The participants made mushroom and lentil pancakes in small groups at St Werburgh’s City Farm kitchen. It was a great opportunity to meet like-minded people and create something spectacular. Sam even treated us to a homemade strawberry crème brulee!
Cookery Session with Deaf and Hard of Hearing People.
Provider: Migrateful. Venue: The Mazi Project.
Saturday 21st June 2025
We went back to Migrateful and this time the session was led by Chef Celia who taught the participants how to make delicious, authentic Hong Kong dishes such as:
- Cucumber & Wood Ear Mushroom Salad | Vegan; Sesame, Soya, Gluten (Wheat)
Click on the links for BSL videos on 1) Ingredients needed, and 2) How to make the salad
- Cripsy Pork and Chives Dumplings | Meat (Pork); Gluten (Wheat), Sesame, Soya
- Sweetcorn and Cabbage Dumplings | Vegan; Gluten (Wheat), Sesame
- Stir Fry Shredded Potato in Vinegar | Vegan; Sesame
- Hot and Sour Soup | Vegetarian or Vegan; Eggs, Gluten (Wheat), Sesame, Soya, Celery
This menu contains meat (pork) but is vegetarian friendly (4/5 dishes are meat free). Allergens include: sesame, soya, gluten, eggs, and celery.
The participants cooked together in small teams, just like a big family in the kitchen. Each group made a different dish, and we were encouraged to walk around, watch, help, and learn from each other. Celia was warm, friendly, and full of stories about her culture and food. Her passion made us feel welcomed and inspired. After all the cooking, we sat down and shared the meal we made – the food was terrific, but what made it special was sharing it with new friends.
CfD would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to all partners and venues involved in delivering this project:
- Feeding Bristol
- Co-Exist
- Migrateful
- The Mazi Project
- St Werburgh City Farm
- The Vassall Centre
- Avonmouth Community Centre
- Stoke Lodge
- Chefs Celia and Jaufferkhan (Migrateful)
- Sarah Alder
- Greg Macalla
- Sam Egerton-Kemp
- Yvonne Cobb