The scent of succulent cooking wafted forth from the training room kitchen of Laois Partnership Company at the start of April, for the first session of the Healthy Food Made Easy course taking place in Portlaoise.
Using fresh ingredients, tutor Veronika Sibilova showed a group of Ukrainian women how to make their own potato and leek soup with brown bread, aptly demonstrating how easy it is to meet the nutritional needs of any family without sacrificing the pleasure of rich and creamy flavours.
Healthy Food Made Easy (HFME) is a community cooking programme developed under the Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme. Participants in each class take an active part in the programme, which will help them to improve their cooking skills, eating behaviours and nutrition knowledge.
The programme was developed by HSE community dietitians who help the participants to make healthier food choices within their budget. Among the topics covered are the different nutrients in food and how they can improve your health; how to use the food pyramid to plan meals; reading and understanding food labels; planning shopping and meals within a budget; and how to cook simple yet tasty meals.
This was the first class of the six-week course to take place in Portlaoise, with further such courses planned throughout the county in the coming months. For more information, contact Mary Hanrahan on 057 866 1900, email [email protected]
