To bring instant foodie fun into your care home, here are 6 activity ideas for you to use.
Preparation
Make a display of kitchen equipment relating to food e.g. cooking equipment – big brown mixing bowls, whisks, rolling pins, wooden spoons, old scales, cake tins, old recipe books, packets / tins of food, aprons, photos of kitchens in 1950s / 60s.
Music while you prepare for your activity:
‘If I knew you were comin’ I’d’ve baked a cake’ by Eileen Barton
- Poetry
Read a foodie poem; we read ‘Baking Day’ from our Poetry book – ‘Now share a verse’ available from Amazon.
Baking day (verse one)
Baking day was the very best time,
It’s a favourite memory of mine.
Smells in the kitchen, bread and cakes
And even more delicious bakes.
Swiss rolls, biscuits, meat or fruit pie,
Bread and butter pudding, a delight to try.
Rock cakes, scones, and Arctic roll,
All came from that brown mixing bowl.
Jam roly poly, Queen of puds,
After rationing it tasted so good.
You can also use our poem, ‘What’s for dinner?’ from ‘Now tell me more about you…’ available from Amazon
What’s for dinner? (First 3 verses)
Watching all the chefs on telly,
Famous for food and the rest,
I remember when I was little,
Mum’s cooking was always best.
Breakfast was either grilled bacon,
A fried or scrambled egg would do,
Sometimes creamy, milky porridge,
Or buttered toast, a slice or two.
Lunch was usually our main meal,
With a delicious roast on Sunday,
Yorkshire puddings hot and crunchy.
Left over cold cuts on a Monday.
2.Conversation Starters: ‘Baking day’
What did you use to bake in the kitchen?
What was your favourite pudding?
How did you make pastry?
Tell me about your favourite family recipes? Which ones were handed down?
What is your favourite food?
Conversation Starters: ‘What’s for dinner?’
What was your favourite food as a child?
What is your favourite roast dinner?
What do you like to eat for breakfast?
How did you cook your Yorkshire puddings?
Did you have any cooking disasters?
3. Reminiscence Avenues
The kitchen is often the heart of a home.
Ask your group – What do you remember about your kitchen?
Look at pictures of kitchens in the past. Use a search engine to find pictures on the internet.
What are the similarities and differences to today’s kitchens? – Discuss
What is a pantry?
Look at old recipe books – talk about baking
Conversation starters:
I used to bake…
My favourite cake is… (this can be done by passing a bowl around the group and pretending to mix a cake.)
My favourite meal is…
4. Cooking capers!
A tray of buns (fairy cakes)
Bake a tray of delights together. It is lovely to share the texture of flour and sugar, to beat eggs and see the changes and to smell the results.
Simple recipe for buns (fairy cakes)
Use old weights for reminiscence
4oz (110g) Self Raising flour
4oz (110g) soft butter
4oz (110g) caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1– 2 tbsps milk
1tsp vanilla extract
Method
Pre – heat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4 and line 2 x 12-hole bun tin with paper cases.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale.
Beat in the eggs a little at a time.
Fold in the flour with a metal spoon. Carefully add a couple of drops of vanilla extract
Add a little milk to make it a soft dropping consistency.
Spoon the mixture into the paper bun cases until they are half full.
Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted into one comes out clean.
Leave on a rack to cool.
Decorate as you wish – icing, chocolate, lemon drizzle for example
Remember you are talking to the baking generation and they will have many delicious recipes in their heads which they can share. Make this as person–centred as possible – we have found that conversation flows. We have also learnt some tasty recipes in this way.
5. Fragrance Circles
Use fragrances to stir memories and encourage conversation
Ideas:
Herbs – basil, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme
Spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger,
Cake flavouring – orange, lemon, chocolate, coffee, dried fruit
6. Music
Fun music for this foodie topic is:
Food Glorious Food
Boiled beef and carrots
I like coffee I like tea
A taste of honey
Shortnin’ Bread
A spoonful of sugar
And the song which we used in the preparation time:
If I knew you were comin’ I’d’ve baked a cake
