Head chef presents Axminster students with an ice-cream making machine

River Cottage head chef Gelf Alderson served up a double cause for celebration when he visited Axminster-based healthy eating charity HALFF’s recent cooking session.

He went along to the event at the Millwey SWITCH Youth Group last week to present them with a cheque for £180 and an ice-cream maker.

The money will help pay for the monthly cooking sessions HALFF run at the youth group.

The sessions, also funded by the Gibbons Family Trust and Devon Community Foundation, provide vital hands-on cooking experience for the youngsters aged seven to 16 and everyone gets to sit down together and enjoy the main meal and pudding they have prepared.

Project co-ordinator Hannah Newman said: “We choose dishes that will appeal to the young people as well as introduce new ingredients. Our cooks work with the group to follow the recipes and prepare the meals.

“It can be a great confidence boost to see the results of your hard work being eaten - the feedback is usually very positive with plates scraped clean!

“These sessions also really help the young people to develop other essential life skills.”

She said the new ice-cream maker would be used across all their projects to enable the charity to offer some healthier options for iced treats from their shop, The Food Hub, in South Street, Axminster.

For more information on HALFF’s projects, including cooking courses and demos for parents, carers, people suffering from heart disease or diabetes and anyone cooking for one, visit www.halff.org.uk or at facebook/health-and-local-food- for-families.