Low budget nutrition (From Southend Standard)

Low budget nutrition

3:00pm Saturday 5th December 2009

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STREETSMART is back for its fourth year in Southend, and as well as raising money for the homeless, this year restaurateurs are also spreading the nutritional message.

The aim of the scheme, backed by the Echo, is to encourage diners to donate an extra pound when they pay their bill in participating restaurants during December.

Although part of a nationwide charity, all the proceeds raised in this region go to the Homeless Action Resource Project, known as Harp, which runs a day centre, night shelter and medium stay hostel in Westcliff and Southend. Last year’s efforts netted £5,000.

Local restaurants such as the Grove, Affinity 1777, and My Kitchen, all in Leigh, Il Pescatore, in Southend, Ocean Beach and the Roslin Beach Hotel, in Thorpe Bay, are all participating again this year.

Over the past few weeks, chefs including Riccardo Burzotta and Felice Tortora from Il Pescatore, and Richard and Gill Harvey from Affinty 1777, have visited the Harp day centre in Valkyrie Road, Westcliff, to provide the staff, volunteers and some clients with classes on the benefits of preparing healthy, nutritional meals, on a very tight budget. Harp fundraiser Stephen Colyer says: “They have all prepared delicious and tasty meals of soup and a main course for 50 people at a cost of between 55p to 60p per person.

“These visits have been extremely well received by everyone and the benefits from these informal training sessions are proving invaluable.”

This week, the charity was invited to the Roslin Beach Hotel by owner the Regis group after it learned about the StreetSmart initiative.

Stephen explains: “On discovering this year’s approach has extended into a training and education, Grant Cooper of the Regis Group immediately offered Harp the facilities at the newly-refurbished Roslin Beach Hotel for a masterclass.”

Harp support project Worker Dean Gilbert, along with two assistant support project workers Michelle Noad and Alex Turner, seized the opportunity to extend their training.

Stephen says: “Receiving a welcome that only VIPs could expect, we were very warmly greeted by marketing manager Jacqui Harris and restaurant manager George Castro.

“We were then introduced to chef Dave Reddish who ran through health, safety and hygiene procedures. We were thrilled to learn Harp’s kitchens are up to the same high standard as a top professional kitchen and follow exactly the same rules and procedures.”

Head chef Wayne Hawkins then invited the group to watch him prepare three meals, including a healthy hotpot.

Stephen says: “This was a wonderfully educational experience for all of us and Wayne passed on some amazing cooking tips to us that will then be passed on to others, to help others.

“We would like to offer a very big thank to everyone at the Roslin Beach Hotel for this marvellous opportunity”.

For more information on StreetSmart, visit www.street smart.org.uk or www.harp southend.co.uk

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