The power of keeping family recipes alive through generations

What is the Grandmother’s Hands project? 

Our Grandmother’s Hands project, run in partnership between SEEN and Linking Generations NI, was inspired by a series of events we hosted focused on addressing the impact of food inequality. By having conversations in communities across the UK, we worked together to develop healthy, budget-friendly recipes and raised awareness of the impact of a healthy diet on our wellbeing.  

During one of these events in Birmingham, someone shared a powerful story about potentially losing a part of their own family’s food history. Their grandmother had been diagnosed with dementia and part of the shock the family was experiencing was the realisation that they may never come together again over one of her home-cooked meals. Their grandmother’s recipes hadn’t been passed on and now they risked losing them altogether. As a way to try to record their grandmother’s knowledge, they were exploring how they could film her hands making their family recipes because she wouldn’t be able to write her recipes down anymore.  

This story sparked the idea for our project which focused on the creation of our Grandmother’s Hands Intergenerational Cookbook.   

The cookbook is filled with family recipes – including those below – which were chosen as part of a competition which asked young people to share a recipe that represents their heritage and identity. The winners, selected by local celebrity chef Suzie Lee, came together in Derry to cook and share their dishes with each other. 

Oscar’s Irish Soda Bread (Gluten-free/ Vegan) 

Ingredients 

• 400g Doves Farm gluten-free brown bread flour  
• 8g baking soda 
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• 470ml dairy-free milk (soya or almond milk) 
• 30ml lemon juice 
• Extra flour to shape the dough 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. 
2. In a bowl, whisk the milk with lemon juice. Set aside for 10 minutes until it thickens.  
3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. 
4. Gradually add the liquid mixture and stir the dough – add extra flour if it’s too wet. 
5. Place the dough onto a floured surface and fold it on itself about six times.  
6. Place the dough onto the baking tray and flatten with your hands until the dough is thin in height.  
7. Cut a deep cross on top of the bread and sprinkle some extra white flour on top of the bread. 
8. Bake in the oven at 220°C on the middle shelf for 20-30 minutes or until the outside is crusty. 
9. Transfer to a cooling rack for 60 minutes before slicing. 
10. The soda bread can be eaten plain or toasted with a topping of your choice. It goes well with Derry soup, Derry salad, and Derry stew. 

Maya’s Halloumi Curry (Vegetarian)  

Ingredients 

• 1 block of halloumi, cut into cubes 
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (for frying) 
• 1 large onion, chopped 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1-inch ginger, minced 
• 2 tomatoes, chopped 
• 1 tsp curry powder 
• 1 tsp turmeric 
• 1 tsp ground coriander 
• 1 tsp cumin seeds 
• 3 tablespoons of maziwa mala (yogurt) or dairy free alternative 
• 1 bunch of kale, cabbage, or collard greens, chopped 
• 1 green chili, finely chopped (optional) 
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• Fresh coriander for garnish 

Method 

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat. Fry the halloumi cubes until they are golden brown on all sides (about 2–3 minutes per side). Remove the halloumi from the pan and set aside. 
2. In the same pan, add another tablespoon of vegetable oil if needed, then sauté the chopped onions until soft and translucent.  
3. Add the minced garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds. Cook for another minute until fragrant.  
4. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until they soften and break down, forming a thick sauce. 
5. Add curry powder, turmeric, ground coriander, and chopped green chili (if using). Cook for 1–2 minutes to let the spices release their aroma. 
6. Add maziwa mala (yogurt) and stir well. Allow the curry to simmer on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until it thickens slightly. 
7. Stir in the chopped kale, cabbage, or collard greens and cook until the greens are wilted but are still bright green (about 3–5 minutes).  
8. Gently stir in the fried halloumi cubes, allowing them to absorb some of the curry flavours. Simmer for another 2–3 minutes.  
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve the curry hot with rice, chapati, or ugali. 

Grandpa Henio’s Polish Chicken Broth 

Ingredients  

• 2 carrots 
• 1 parsnip 
• ½ cabbage head 
• ½ onion 
• ½ a celery root 
• A handful of fresh parsley 
• A pinch of salt 
• A pinch of ground pepper 
• 4 bay leaves 
• 4 allspice berries 
• Season to taste with Biovegeta spice (a mix of dried vegetables with Himalayan salt) or use vegetable seasonings, bouillon, or vegetable stock

Optional additional ingredients 

Meat version 

• 1 duck leg 
• 2 chicken thighs 
• 1 small piece of beef 

Noodles 

• 2 eggs 
• 5 tablespoons of plain flour 
• A pinch of salt 

Polish Salad

• 2 diced boiled eggs
• 3 diced boiled potatoes
• 3 diced gherkins
• ½ a diced apple
• 1 small can of garden peas
• ¼ diced onion
• 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• a little paprika
• parsley to taste

Method: Broth 

1. Peel and wash the vegetables and wash the meat (if using).  

2. Place the meat into a pan and cover with water and bring to the boil.  

3. Pour out the water and add fresh water. Bring to the boil again. Repeat this process. 

4. Add the vegetables, spices, and optional meat, and bring the broth to the boil. Once it’s come to the boil, turn it down to a simmer for 3-12 hours.  

5. If using meat, it can be eaten with the broth or separately. 

Method: Noodles 

1. Mix the flour, egg, and salt together.  

2. Scoop a small amount of the batter along the edge of the spoon and lay the batter into the broth pot with a little sideways motion. Cook until the noodles reach your desired texture.  

3. Serve the broth with the noodles. 

Method: Polish Salad 

1. Use the remaining ingredients from the broth, dice your desired number of carrots, parsnips, and celery together. 

2. Then add diced boiled eggs, diced boiled potatoes, diced gherkins, diced apple, the can of garden peas, and onion. 

3. For the dressing, add 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, a little paprika, and parsley, and mix. 

By coming together to share their own family recipes and try out dishes made from other families’ recipes, the children, young people, and families who took part in our Grandmother’s Hands project were able to feel the power that food has to connect us, build memories, and celebrate our own and different cultures.