What better way than a meal to make friends of those who were strangers? Come and learn how to cook delicious traditional dishes with the wonderful chefs from Migrateful! Migrateful is a social enterprise that empowers and celebrates refugees and vulnerable migrants on their journey to integration by supporting them to run their own cookery classes. We are excited to be welcoming Migrateful chefs at St Ethelburga’s as part of our Refugee Allies project.
Chef Helen will be teaching some of her favourite Eritrean dishes followed by a sit down meal
This is a family style cookery class where you collectively prepare four dishes. Chef Helen will divide the class into groups with each one responsible for creating 1 of the dishes. You are also free to move around during the class to learn about the other dishes. Chef Helen will recap each of the dishes throughout the evening and at the end of the class so that everyone can learn about all of the dishes. You will also be emailed the recipes after the class.
A sample menu of the dishes that will be taught include:
This menu is Vegan. Allergens include: alliums. Please let us know if you have any specific dietary requirements!
“Hello, my name is Helen Goitom. I am from Eritrea. I was brought up in a city called Asmara – the capital city of Eritrea. My mother taught me to cook when I was 12 years old. I have 6 brothers and 2 sisters. My brothers never cooked, only me and my sisters. I have been in the UK for 1 year and 5 months. I got my refugee status last year, age 28.
In 2014 I was forced to join the army in Eritrea. Everyone in my country had to join. Only my father couldn’t join because he was ill. After 3 years of being in the army I wanted to leave the army because it was very dangerous and scary, I didn’t like it. Often there was not enough food and water for the soldiers, there was never any rest, every day working and no rest. My father was very sick so I asked to go visit him in hospital. They wouldn’t let me. I escaped to see my father. The authorities went to the hospital and put me in prison. I spent 6 months in prison. Then my aunt’s son paid someone to help me escape.
I went to Sudan, then Turkey, the Greece, then Italy, Belgium. In Belgium 12 of us snuck into the back of a lorry, the driver was asleep, he didn’t notice us. And the lorry got to the UK.
I am happy here in London. People help me. There are so many amazing services. When I’m ill I can get medicine. In Eritrea there was no medicine. There were no good schools. I feel very grateful to be here. My friends who I met in the lorry I am very good friends with still, they are like family to me.”
Alongside the teaching, the ticket price covers the cost of ingredients and a donation to support the innovative work of Migrateful. £43.71 sold by Migrateful through Eventbrite. Book soon to avoid disappointment!
Migrateful helps refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants on their journey to employment and independence and promotes integration. It runs cookery classes led by migrant chefs struggling to integrate and access employment due to legal and linguistic barriers. The cookery classes provide ideal conditions not just for learning English and building confidence, but also for promoting contact and cultural exchange with the wider community.