Experimental Cookery Club

Cooking is a great way to get people together – to learn new skills, celebrate other cultures and share home-cooked meals. The Experimental Cookery Club brings households together for food and friendship in and around Cambourne.

What to expect?

Organised by CamCare (a Cambourne-based charity that promotes diversity and equality), the Experimental Cookery Club is the idea of CamCare’s founder, Dr Shrobona Bhattercharya (who is also a local councillor). Shrobona wanted to find a way to celebrate the many different nationalities living in Cambourne, whilst encouraging people in the community to get to know each other – and the Experimental Cookery Club concept was born.

Each year the cuisine from a different nationality is chosen for the Club and households can register to take part. Three households of similar size but who don’t know each other are matched together by CamCare, and each household cooks and hosts a meal  for the households in their group (children are also encouraged to take part!). As households take turns preparing and hosting meals throughout the year, each individual household only has to cook one meal – but people really get to know each other as they share food and hospitality every few months.

A household doesn’t have to mean a family – single people or couples can join in too. It is called an ‘experimental’ cookery club because there is no pressure to cook something perfect – the goal is to try cooking dishes from each year’s chosen national cuisine, so mistakes are inevitable (and part of the fun!).

At the end of the year, the best starter, main meal and pudding from each group of  households is prepared for a ticketed community dinner, raising funds for charity.

If you’d like to set up an Experimental Cookery Club in your village or area, contact Shrobona who’d be delighted to advise you.

Taking part is free  apart from the cost of the ingredients for one meal (and possibly for preparing one dish for the fundraising dinner).

There is a charge for attending the final fundraising dinner – all proceeds go to charity.