The event was held at the Tassibee Centre on Godstone Road in Rotherham and was attended by over 30 local people, as well as Cabinet Member for Community Development Equality & Young People’s Issues Cllr Mahroof Hussain.
Bombay potatoes and traditional English Shepherd’s Pie were on the menu, as were many other Eastern and Western dishes that had been prepared, with Clifton Methodist Church members following Asian recipes and women from the Tassibee Centre tackling traditional British favourites.
The two groups have taken part in eight shared cookery sessions, in which they taught each other to create dishes from their own cultures. The idea for the project came about when Methodist Church members offered to help Tassibee Centre groups fund raise to support a girls’ school in Pakistan. After finding out they shared a common love of cooking, the two groups managed to secure funding from Faith in Action, which meant
they could pay for ingredients.
Methodist Church member Jennifer Lovell said: “We wanted to learn how to make great curries and the Tassibee ladies wanted to know how to make English puddings. We’ve really got to know each other through the cookery and we have had such a great laugh together. We’re still swapping recipes and cookery tips and I am sure really lasting friendships have been formed.”
Tahira Malik who attends the Tassibee Centre added: “It has been so nice to meet all of these new people and to learn to cook English food. I have really enjoyed every session.”
Councillor Hussain said: “This has been a fantastic project which has helped people to learn about each others’ cultures and discover just how much we have in common. Not only that - the food was really delicious!”
Tassibee is a support group for British Muslim Asian women, providing a culturally appropriate setting for them to learn, socialise and improve their lives.
This activity was part of Rotherham’s One Town One Community, which is about creating a feeling of belonging to one community, where individuals demonstrate unity, mutual understanding and shared values, celebrating our differences and what binds us all together.
For more information on One Town One Community, visit the website www.rotherham.gov.uk/onetownonecommunity