Alicia Weston

Alicia Weston, CEO and founder of Bags of Taste, breaks the myths surrounding dood poverty

Alicia Weston, CEO of Bags of Taste

“People think people in poverty don’t cook because they either can’t afford it, they don’t know how to cook, or they’re too lazy. None of these are true,” says Alicia Weston, CEO and founder of Bags of Taste.

“What’s actually happening is this: the cupboards are empty, the corner shop is expensive and the supermarket is a bus ride away.

“What you want is for people to have dried packet stuff that a middle-class larder has. They need the tinned tomatoes, olive oil and dried garlic to start a meal with.”

This is where Bags of Taste comes in. The programme gives people who have barriers to eating well the skills to eat home-cooked food. It aims to address the underlying reasons why people in poverty might make unhealthy and expensive food choices and helps them to cook tasty and affordable food.

Alicia explains: “Years ago I was asked to teach cooking courses at homelessness charity Crisis. Although the courses were well attended people would go home and fall into bad habits again.

“So I started looking at what the barriers to cooking were. Do people know where to get the ingredients from? Do they have the right equipment? Are they required to use an oven, which increases energy costs?

“It took me three years to come up with a plan, but I knew people wanted to eat decent food at home.”

In 2014 Alicia set up Bags of Taste in Hackney, with funding from the West Hackney Parochial Charity. Today, it supports around 2,400 people a year in 23 locations across England – from Newcastle to Hastings.

Although Bags of Taste initially consisted of an in-person cooking course, the programme is now available on WhatsApp and over the phone to enable people to cook at home, reaching those who struggled to attend their in-person classes.

Alicia says: “We provide a free cooking kit with a knife sharpener, measuring spoons and ingredients. We have videos for everything: how to chop an onion, ways to batch cook, and how to deal with leftovers.

“We’re not just some recipe kits – we are a household food resilience course. We want to make sure those cupboards are full and we show people how to use canned goods, freezer goods, and long-life vegetables.

“When people graduate from the programme they get a bunch of new recipes, which they can cook on their own. It’s exciting food on a shoestring budget.

“During the programme everyone is assigned a mentor – someone who is responsible for you. Most of our mentors are qualified nutritionists and can be contacted on WhatsApp or a phone call.”

The figures are impressive. Having worked with more than 14,000 participants, Bags of Taste’s evaluation shows that 86 per cent of people cooked more frequently after the course and that 70 per cent of people also identified ways of reducing their food costs.

Alicia continues: “People are often referred to us through a GP, social prescriber or a charity – but they can also self-refer. We’re particularly interested in helping people with a physical or mental health condition and low-income single parents. If you’re on benefits there’s a good chance you’d be accepted.

“We’re continuing to grow, but some people don’t know about us. We want them to know that there is a way of changing people’s diets because we do it every day.”

For more information on Bags of Taste, to refer someone, or to self refer, visit: bagsoftaste.org