Meir Matters supplies air fryers in Stoke-on-Trent cookery scheme

Ethan Saunders,Meirand

Richard Price,West Midlands

BBC Michelle Swift, a woman with blonde hair, is looking at the camera and smiling. She is wearing a black and white striped jumper and a black coat over the top.
Behind her is a group of people taking part in a cookery session. — Michelle Swift, director of Meir Matters, says they previously ran a similar scheme with slow cookers

Air fryers are to be given out free by a community group that has been teaching people how to cook as part of a scheme to help them eat more healthily.

Meir Matters (MM), based in Meir, Stoke-on-Trent, has launched the initiative as part of a drive to improve the nutrition of those living locally.

It follows research by the University of Staffordshire that last month revealed the city was getting close to a humanitarian crisis, with food bank use on the increase.

Michelle Swift, director of MM, said they had previously run a course with slow cookers, adding “we’re trying to run something similar that helps people save money, eat healthy, do it on a budget and reduce waste at the same time”.

“If you’re feeding a family using it as well, it’s trying to be efficient, save them time and also something where they can get the family involved in cooking,” Swift added.

Darren Jones, who had cookery lessons at school, says he now usually cooks ready-meals in a microwave or an oven

Darren Jones, a man wearing a beige coat and a black apron over the top of it as well as a black catering hat, is smiling and looking at the camera whilst holding a bowl which is tilted towards the photographer. He is indoors in what appears to be a room with a number of cupboards and worktops. — Darren Jones, who had cookery lessons at school, says he now usually cooks ready-meals in a microwave or an oven

Darren Jones used to attend cookery lessons at school, but said now he usually used a microwave or oven to cook ready-made meals.

“It’s not healthy for you,” he said. “I think that’s a bigger problem in society.

“People don’t look after their health – I know I don’t as much as I should.”

Swift added her group was there to help where it could.

“Nobody in Meir should be going hungry,” she said.

“Anybody who’s struggling can come to us – whether we provide an emergency food pack to keep them going for a few days, or whether we provide them with some pre-prepared, home-cooked meals.”

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