Cooking up a Storm

As part of Black History Month the boys studying Hospitality & Catering at HMPYOI Werrington cooked Jamaican and West African food for 85 of their peers!
The group of 6 boys, supported by their two tutors spent all day cooking up a storm! It was important for the boys to learn about food culture as part of the YOI’s Black History Month programme. The boys were supported to design, prepare and serve Jamaican chicken curry, jollof rice and handmade samosas which were then served, takeaway style to every young person in the prison – in the classrooms, workshops and residences.
Typically the boys on this course cook just for each other in a typical domestic style kitchen environment, so taking on a task to cook for 85 was a huge challenge! The effort and planning required to design the menu, and then cook for 85 people in five hours, not to mention delivering the food across the campus was a significant achievement.
The feedback from the boys in custody was fantastic; not only was the food delicious but the sense of being seen, and being served, had a real impact on many.
Alex Ross, Head of Education at PeoplePlus comments: “The energy, positivity, skills and passion was brilliant to see. Enabling the boys to give something back to their peers really meant a lot to them, and they visibly grew in confidence.”
Governing Governor Jasmin Steadman was also impressed by the impact the event had, commenting “The food co-prepared by staff and the young people was amazing. My favourite was the Kenyan Beef Samosas. One young person told me that he had cooked 100 pieces of chicken. This was a really innovative way to ensure everyone got to gain some insight into black history and culture through the use of food.’