Hands up if you’ve ever cooked an omelette in a kettle. We didn’t think so… we’ve certainly never heard of such a quirky recipe. But for families struggling to make ends meet right now, simple recipes like this, which use common kitchen items, can be a lifeline.
That’s the thinking behind Tom Kerridge’s Full Time Meals – a collection of recipes created by the chef and Manchester United fan to call ‘full time’ on child poverty. And with 4.3 million children in the UK living in poverty, Tom designed the recipes with families on a budget very much in mind.
“The current cost-of-living crisis has a significantly higher impact on those already struggling. Basic food such as pasta, bread, eggs and milk are hit the hardest,” the chef told LK. “I wanted to create a range of really simple recipes that people can make using basic kitchen equipment that ultimately are filling and taste great.”
In addition to food education and offering low-cost meal inspiration, Tom’s getting behind the Food Foundation’s Feed the Future campaign, to ensure more children benefit from free school meals. Chef Tom, who himself received free school meals, explained that, “if some of these recipes help families, then that’s all the motivation I need. It’s an outrage that today, in England, children are going to school hungry.”
Educate your plate
Not only are many kids struggling to eat healthily, education about food is inadequate.
“Yes, it’s important to know about algebra, but I would argue teaching children a life skill such as cooking outweighs knowing Pythagoras’ theorem,” Tom said.
“I visited a school a few months ago and a lot of the kids couldn’t name simple vegetables. It was heartbreaking. Food education has such a knock-on effect when it comes to future generations. Eating well will benefit the economy and the NHS down the line.
“I’d like to ask people to contact their local MPs to push for free school meals in the fi rst instance, the government need to feel the pressure from the public to act.”
Tom is delighted with the success of Full Time Meals so far. “The feedback has been great – we’ve received videos and photos of families cooking together, kids getting involved, which is great to see. Full Time Meals provides people with simple, filling recipes. Nothing fancy, it’s about easy-to-make food on a budget.”
Full Time Meals provides people with simple, filling recipes. Nothing fancy, it’s about easy-to-make food on a budget
Creativity is key
As passionate as Tom is about using his platform to push for change outside the kitchen, it’s cooking up new ideas where he’s at his best. And he had to be pretty creative when it came to Full Time Meals.
“Some of the families we spoke to don’t have even basic kitchen equipment so we tried to make recipes using very little. One of our recipes can even be made in a kettle. It’s gone down a treat! It’s easy to take for granted that we have pans, microwaves and fridges – many families don’t.”
As for inspiring others to get into the kitchen, Tom’s advice is simple: enjoy it, experiment and get the kids involved.
“Do what feels the most comfortable to you, everyone is different. It has to be fun – cooking should never feel like a chore. You might prefer a well-thumbed cookbook or be a bit more digitally savvy and watch Tik Tok videos. If it gets you in the kitchen, I don’t think it matters.
“Cook things you know your kids like and try to make sure it’s not a long-winded recipe that takes hours – grab their attention, get them hooked and give them control. Let them weigh things, crack the eggs, make a bit of a mess, dance around – it’s all about spending that time together.” Tom has picked out three recipes to have a go at with the kids.
