Over the past academic year, Sussex Food has held seven Social Kitchen cooking lessons. Each of them had a specific theme and aimed to teach students to cook healthy, sustainable, and reasonably priced meals at home. It was a great way to meet new people, a unique experience on campus, and completely free with all food and equipment provided.

The initiative was open to any Sussex student, whether they were a food enthusiast or a novice keen to get some cooking skills under their belt. Every menu we created was fully vegetarian with vegan options, to cater to all, and they could easily be adapted to a meat-eating diet at home, if that’s your thing!

The year kicked off with a Mexican fiesta, where we made tacos, pico de gallo and guacamole.

“We’ve been here almost a year now, and the Social Kitchen is by far the best thing we’ve done!” – Faith and Furkan

Next, students nailed a three-course dinner for two, consisting of Thai Laarb Salad, Malaysian curry with sticky rice and lemongrass panna cotta with pineapple salsa.

“I am not usually a fan of cooking, but this is the most fun I have ever had while cooking! And you don’t even have to wash up after.” – Chelly

In December, we challenged the takeaway to a cookoff. All the satisfaction, with none of the cost. We made hoi sin stir fry, satay noodles and fried rice.

“I have attended three Social Kitchens now and I have enjoyed every session! The chefs are so friendly, and every lesson is so fun! I love the variety of food, with the monthly changing menu. It’s suitable for anyone, from beginners to cooking lovers.” - Kam

In February we held a special Valentine’s themed lesson, teaching students to cook an Italian menu of bruschetta, risotto, and tiramisu.

“It was such a fun and exciting experience for me” – Ulviye

Next, we went big. Our students can now make pilaf, onion bhaji and mango lassi for large groups with ease.

“I had a blast! I’ll be coming back again and again” – Rose

Our penultimate session saw students tackle food waste, with a Sri Lankan dhal, pol roti, and broccoli stalk mellun. All recipes used leftover veg and cheap store cupboard ingredients.

“The Zero Waste Social Kitchen was the absolute best; I definitely appreciate the simple and affordable recipes. I’ve already made the roti again twice, and it was amazing!” – Accalia

We’re sad that the events are almost over for the year but can’t wait to welcome even more students than ever before come October!