General News
3 June, 2019
Creating appetites for life
MAGGIE Beer’s love of fresh food swept through Merindah Lodge last week when her recipes were served up for eagerly awaiting residents.
MAGGIE Beer’s love of fresh food swept through Merindah Lodge last week when her recipes were served up for eagerly awaiting residents.
Beetroot dip coupled with warm Turkish bread, lamb koftas served with a yoghurt garlic sauce, crusted chicken fingers and a lemon/almond poppy seed cake all featured along with a refreshing drop of a sparkling pomegranate, peppermint and lime mocktail.
The evening followed on from a two-day ‘Creating an Appetite for Life’ master-class hospital cook Andrea Burkett completed under the guidance of TV cooking favourite Maggie Beer.
As one of only 30 applicants to be accepted, Ms Burkett said the workshop was a “great opportunity and well worthwhile”.
“There were some fantastic guest speakers who took us through all aspects of healthy cooking for aging people and how to make food more appealing,” she said.
“The biggest message was to use really fresh foods that are full of colour and flavour.
“There was also a great section on adopting a ‘soil to the plate’ approach, which means growing vegetables onsite at aged-care facilities and getting the residents involved in the process so they are using their hands and their minds and are a keeping busy.”
Ms Burkett said the master-class also involved a ‘mystery box’ styled cooking challenge with Maggie Beer herself.
“She was really encouraging and enthusiastic about everything we were doing,” she said.
“Maggie was just like she is on TV (Channel 33’s ‘The Cook and The Chef’), very bubbly but still down to earth.
“The whole class was a great experience and it’s great to be using some of her recipes now to share with our residents.”