Neil, a 65-year-old retiree, attended our 6-week ‘Food Foundations Course’ in The Community Cookery School at Westbank in the Summer of 2024. 

Neil signed up for the ‘Food Foundations Course’, as sadly, his wife of 44 years had recently received a cancer diagnosis and Neil needed to learn to cook so that he could care for her.  Prior to starting the ‘Food Foundations Course’, Neil had rarely cooked anything and had tried learning to cook online, but despite being IT literate, he felt it was very insular and was therefore very pleased and relieved to hear about the ‘hands-on’ cookery course at Westbank Community Health and Care. 

At the end of the 6-week ‘Food Foundations Course’, Neil’s confidence and cooking ability had significantly improved, and Neil went on to cook recipes from the course at home. As a result of attending the ‘Food Foundations Course’, Neil is now able to cook healthy and nutritious meals for his wife and other members of his family and was planning to help cook Christmas dinner for his family. 

Neil said, “The Food Foundations Cookery course at Westbank Community Health and Care is just what I needed, with the practical cookery being clearly explained on a "step-by-step" basis. The recipes are clearly laid out, and the cookery school facilities are excellent.

Neil continued, “I am pleased to say that the Food Foundations Cookery Course exceeded all my expectations and has given me the knowledge, motivation and confidence to learn more about cooking healthy food. Please pass on my thanks to everyone at Westbank”.