Bags of Taste transforms the lives of people with multiple disadvantages by giving them the help and practical support they need to buy and cook tasty, healthy and affordable food. We make it easier for people to improve their diets, health and finances so they can move and stay out of food poverty.
We provide Mentored Home Cooking Courses that combine personalised help and support at the start, and ongoing peer support to ensure that better dietary habits are sustained for the long term.
We collaborate with public sector commissioners, charities and other partners who share our goal and raise awareness of the many challenges preventing people from enjoying good healthy food.
Vision
We believe that everyone should be able to access and cook good food.
We believe that accessing and cooking good food has the ability to change lives for the better.
Values
We make it personal: Every student receives personal mentoring by someone who understands their challenges, can listen and work to support their specific needs.
We break down barriers: We’ve listened to what students tell us and we know what their barriers are. Our course is designed to overcome them.
We don’t judge, we encourage: We show students what they can do rather than what they should do, which gets great results.
Inspiration, not perspiration: We inspire our students, put them in control, and treat them with respect so they can take charge of their food choices.
Our Approach
Because we believe everyone should be able to eat good food, we show people that they can make food as tasty as a restaurant or takeaway can – at home – and that cooking and eating well is an essential life skill.
Maximum value
We help students to understand how to get the best value from food; sourcing, preparing, cooking, serving and storing.
We provide value for money to funders because our students make long-lasting, beneficial changes to their diets and finances.
Continuous Improvement
Every student we work with provides feedback of their experience of working with us, and we use this to improve our delivery.
In it for the long term
We commit to our students’ futures by providing ongoing support through a peer group community for life. This creates sustained and lasting change.
Health by stealth
We show that food can be tasty and healthy
Impact is all
We constantly measure, evaluate and test to achieve and maintain, the highest impact. This means making sure our work reaches and helps as many people as possible.
It’s not a cookery course
Food is the vehicle we use to help students develop essential life skills; self-care, budgeting, social skills and confidence.
It also opens minds and opens doors to a better future full of opportunities and possibilities.
Any better is better
For some people, a small change is significant and we believe that small steps can lead to big changes. Changes at home can be a huge breakthrough