Residents from two Wrexham care homes have put together a special recipe book, helping them to relive fond moments from their past.
The ‘Down Memory Lane – Through the Seasons’ recipe book is a combination of culinary memories from residents of the Elm Villa (Gwersyllt) and Penygelli (Coedpoeth) care homes in Wrexham.
With the help of Activity Coordinator Diane Sweeney and staff from the two care homes, the heartwarming book was created, and it retells childhood memories, family stories, life during the War, and many other special moments.
Putting the book together has helped the residents to reminisce about years gone by, opening new conversations and spreading happiness throughout the care homes.
This was shown recently at Penygelli, where the residents all worked together to bake one of the special recipes, which is affectionately known as ‘grandpa’s bread’.
One of the residents, Peter told us: “My recipe is my grandpa’s bread. I remember the bread strike in 1970’s but because grandpa made his own, we were all ok. I used to love watching and helping him. We made some of the bread here at Penygelli a couple of weeks ago, which was lovely. It was a group effort, and it came out beautifully.”
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The care homes have been selling copies of the book to visitors with proceeds going towards future activities for the residents. The residents’ families bought a number of the books as Christmas presents for their friends.
Cllr John Pritchard, Lead Member for Adult Social Care, said: “Reminiscence is so important for our older communities – it boosts well-being, improves mood, helps with cognitive function, and in many situations reduces loneliness. It sounds like the recipe book has allowed the residents the opportunity to talk about happy memories from their past which can be an incredibly valuable thing.”
Memories
We had the pleasure of talking to residents from both care homes about some of these memories and why they chose their recipes. Here’s some of the things they told us…
Robbie: “I think not many people will have heard of my recipe, so it’s nice to share it. I also like a good Welsh breakfast – bacon, sausage, egg, black pudding, fried bread and fresh tomatoes.”
Mary: “It was the food that we had years ago. I thought about making a recipe for traditional stew, but it’s a bit common so I went with corned beef stew. I also used to love making pie. I raised all my kids on these recipes.”
Jean: “My recipe is for a soup, which is quick and warms you up when the weather is cold. I used to make Christmas cakes too but would always get someone else to ice them for me. I’d do all different things for the week, and lots of party stuff as I’d do lots of entertainment. I used to have meetings taking place in my house and I’d always provide the cakes and scones.”
Dot: “I went with scouse – it was something my mother would make every Tuesday, and I carried on the tradition. It would feed the whole family. I’d use stewing beef and I’d make it in a pressure cooker. I’d make the meat until it was tender then add loads of carrots, onion, pepper and potatoes. It was lovely – a real family favorite.”
An unnamed resident: “My father was a fisherman, and he used to bring salmon home for tea. I do like salmon and I like trout, so I’d pick either fish for a favorite meal. I was also lucky to have a husband that was a butcher, so I was never short of meat.”
Dorothy: “I chose Sunday lunch for my recipe. I’d make it for all the family. Mum and gran used to make it, so I happily followed the tradition when I had my own family.”
Dot: “I can remember sitting at the table eating my Sunday dinner and I wouldn’t move until I’d eaten everything. Beef and Yorkshire pudding was my favorite and still is.”
Doreen: “My mother used to make us everything. I can remember pickling onions at Christmas and sharing them out with everyone. All the family would come round. My son still does the onions now.”
Hazel: “My recipe was treacle toffee, but I can also remember picking blackberries for pies and crumbles. I used to watch my dad and my aunt doing it.”
Ethel: “I used to take apples off the tree, take the core out, put sultanas in and put it in the oven – it was lovely. I would make trifle too – I made one for a street party and a lady asked me where I bought it from. I told her I made it myself and she asked me to make one for her. And I never charged her for it.”
Muriel: “The meat man would visit our street, and we’d buy the meat from his van. We’d have our dinner before Dad – he’d have his later when he’d come home from work.”
Ageing Well
Ageing Well in Wrexham is about connecting people of different ages, encouraging learning at all stages of life, and making sure we have the health and social care services we need. You can learn more about Ageing Well on our website.
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