We Went To Mama'esh!Jan.3.2020
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If you had to leave your country, what would you take with you? For many, the answer would be recipes from home. Food connects us to our families, our culture, and our identity. It can also be a way in bringing people together and helping to learn from one another. At a Migrateful cooking class, you can do exactly that!
Migrateful is a new social enterprise that seeks to connect refugees with their neighbours through the process of cooking. Founded by Jess Thompson in 2017, Migrateful helps refugees and asylum seekers to rebuild their lives after settling in the UK. The project helps to train people from passionate home cooks to professional cookery class leaders. Along the way, the cooks are able to build confidence, strengthen their English, and share their favourite recipes with new people.
In the UK, asylum seekers and undocumented people are unable to work or receive state benefits due to their legal position. Migrateful invites these people to their sessions to allow them to build on professional skills at an early stage, helping them to eventually access employment once receiving legal status.
With chefs from 15 different countries, Migrateful hosts dozens of cooking classes in London each year. The standout one is Helen’s Eritrean vegan class.
Helen grew up in Eritrea with six brothers and two sisters. She began cooking at home at a young age but was separated from her family to join the Eritrean army in 2014. After attempting to escape, she was imprisoned for six months. That’s when her aunt’s son paid someone to help her escape.
Today, you can find Helen working with Migrateful and delivering outstanding vegan cooking classes across London. Her signature dishes include ‘Adas, a fiery red lentil dish packed with berbere spices; Hamli, a simple stew of spinach and potatoes; and Shiro, a smooth chickpea flour stew flavoured with berebere, tomatoes, onions and garlic. These dishes may sound humble, but they pack a punch. Having recently attended one of Helen’s classes and tasted the dishes myself, I can confirm that they are outstanding. Although trying Helen’s food was the highlight of my night, the conversations around me also shined through. Migrateful isn’t just about good food, it’s also about people too.
Migrateful’s cooking classes aim to form an environment where people from different walks of life can come together and learn something from their refugee neighbour. With the refugee leading the workshop, negative stereotypes can be challenged and humanisation can occur. The classes are always small enough so that personal stories can be told in an intimate atmosphere.
To find out more about Migrateful’s work, donate, or book a cooking class, click here.
