Cook Fresh, Cook Local

Cook Fresh, Cook Local

Cooking with fresh seasonal produce with low ‘food miles’. Discussion sessions, field trips and lots of cooking, using the Local Produce Guide produced by the Growing Abundance Project in November 2011. Tutor Ellen Madigan will show you how to cook delicious, healthy meals using produce with low ‘food miles’.

“Ellen Madigan’s cooking course changed my cooking – because of the flavours, I am now using more herbs and fresh vegetables rather than frozen,” said Sue Ellis, a student on the last Cook Fresh, Cook Local course.

Another student, David Rigby, added: “The best thing about the course was getting some new recipes with the added bonus that the ingredients were mainly sourced locally. It was fun and light-hearted and gave me insights into cooking in a commercial kitchen with time deadlines.”

The course returns on Thursdays in the Castlemaine Town Hall, and costs only $100 for eight sessions for anyone with a concession card (full cost $240). The focus is on cooking with seasonal produce with “low food miles”. The class includes planning and preparation, discussion sessions, visits to farmers but above all lots of innovative cooking.

Cook Fresh Cook Local uses the new Local Produce Guide to show just how easy it can be to source and cook from our own area. It is responding to a community project by Growing Abundance that sees that Castlemaine is well placed to be a leading example in pioneering new ways of supporting local farmers and growers and creating an enterprising, vibrant and sustainable local economy.

As Sue Ellis put it: “The flavours were an eye opener. You don’t have to buy food from the supermarket which has been on the shelf for months and you are supporting local growers – you know it’s fresh.”

8 Sessions.

Thursdays 10am-2pm, start date to be advised, at the Town Hall, Frederick Street

Concession Cost: $100 (includes $50 amenities; Full cost: $240 (includes $50 amenities)