Many people lack cooking skills - or the confidence to use them - and this makes it more difficult for them to eat a healthy and sustainable diet. They often rely on processed foods and takeaways that offer few clues about where and how the ingredients were produced, and which are high in salt, fat and sugar.
Cookery groups aim to give people the skills they need to cook their own meals using fresh ingredients, as well as providing a sociable place to learn more about and be inspired by good food. Community cafés are often set up to provide those working or volunteering in the kitchen with catering skills, as well as providing affordable, sustainable and healthy meals for the local community.
Even within commercial and public sector catering there has been a huge amount of de-skilling due to the use of bought-in, ready-made foods, and so initiatives have been set up to train staff and to help caterers provide more sustainable food. More and more café owners and restaurateurs are also now focusing on using high quality locally produce and also using more organic and Fairtrade products.
