Helping Headway Clients Get Ahead With Cooking
We were delighted to facilitate a cooking demonstration for clients of local brain injury charity, Headway Norfolk & Waveney, at The Dial House on Wednesday 13th November.
Five members of Headway’s Independent Living Skills cooking sessions were shown how to plan and prepare bespoke meals that promote a healthy diet after brain injury. Each attendee faces specific challenges due to their brain injury; Executive Chef, Andrew Jones, liaised with Headway’s Senior Occupational Therapist, Angela Page, to tailor recipes to each individual
Andrew Jones said:
“As a chef I take for granted my ability to work with the wonderful fresh produce that Norfolk has to offer. I believe passionately that cooking and eating should be a source of pleasure as well as sustenance that should be available to all. Through working with Angela, I’ve learned that the effects of brain injury can make both shopping for and cooking food difficult, particularly if memory or planning skills are affected. The aim of my cooking demonstration was to show each Headway client how they can work around their limitations to create colourful, nutritious dishes to inspire a love of food."
The Headway clients seemed to enjoy the experience, commenting as follows:
'The session has really improved my confidence, getting a compliment on my cooking skills from a professional chef was amazing!' - Graham
'I thoroughly enjoyed today, I tried new food and would love to come again' - Rory
'Everyone was very respectful and the recipe was easy to follow, I feel inspired and motivated to cook at home and would love to come back to The Dial House in the future' - Robert
Damian Short, partner and head of our personal injury department, has worked closely with Headway for many years, during which time the firm has met the criteria for inclusion in the Headway Head Injury Solicitors Directory.
Damian said:
“The support that Headway offers clients and their families is invaluable, enabling them to make the very most of life after a brain injury. We were really pleased to be able to offer this exclusive cooking demonstration to Headway clients and hope that the event has inspired and enthused both the participants and the supporting Occupational Therapists who work with the other Headway clients.”
Laura Jones, Headway Chief Executive, added:
“We are very grateful to Cozens-Hardy for arranging this cooking demonstration which focused on dishes suitable for our clients living with a brain injury. At Headway, we have cooking sessions each week that allows clients to further their independent living skills, which is something we are always looking to expand on. One of the most common side effects after having a brain injury is fatigue - the team at The Dial House have produced recipes that don't take long to make, which is ideal, and have also focused on dishes with higher anti-oxidants which is healthy for the brain. Not only is this creating a more inclusive menu, but it is positively increasing independent skills for many of our clients at Headway.”