Cracking Good Food

Timeline

Cracking Good Food launched by Adele Jordan, armed with a gazebo, hob, a few pots and pans and some fresh locally grown food, Adele had the passion and determination to ensure everyone has access to good food and the skills and knowledge to cook affordable, seasonal and nutritious homemade food from scratch.

A partnership with Manchester College and Approved Premises enabled us to deliver a cooking programme for ex-offenders in Stockport, Salford, Manchester, and Oldham.

Commended 2012 GM Probation Trust Staff Recognition Awards and Shortlisted Manchester Food & Drink Festival Awards 2012.

Nominated for Be Proud Awards 2013 in Community Project of the Year category

  • We venture outside of Greater Manchester to Blackpool to deliver hands on cooking sessions with primary school children and inform about the UK food system.
  • Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority commission us to deliver a reduce food waste programme to inform and demonstrate how to create great affordable and nutritious food with the general public.
  • Developed our ‘Cooking Up a Storm’ programme with parents of children schools across East Manchester.
  • New Cookery School opens at Prestwich College of Arts to host our bread making programme.

  • New Cookery School opens in Didsbury at Parrs Wood High School.
  • Wrap commission our services in partnership with The Co-operative and Marks and Spencer to deliver the Love Food Haste Waste programme across the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs.
  • Cook, Eat Meet launched to bring young professionals working in the city centre together to enjoy ‘pay as you feel’ supper club.
  • New Cookery School opens at Flixton High School to host our expanding bread making programme.

  • Manchester City Council awarded us a Food Poverty Grant to work with organisations such as Lifeshare, Mustard Tree, FPG Church of Prophecy Moss Side and Church of the Apostles to deliver basic cooking skills using food destined for landfill.
  • Tackling Food Waste in Schools programme designed to educate and inform about the broken food system and give practical cooking tips to reduce food waste is launched and delivered to Burnage Boys Academy.
  • COOKBank launched, a 2 day train the trainer course to teach and support community members and leaders to identify and overcome the barriers to setting up a community cooking club designed to create a good food culture within their own community. We travel to Salford, Chester and Belfast to deliver the programme.

Cracking Good Food ventures far and wide from Glasgow to Portsmouth, Wigan to Norwich delivering a programme commissioned by Streets Ahead – Fit & Fed scheme to teach holiday sports ambassadors to cook healthy dishes for children attending activities during the summer holidays.

  • We were the winner for the 2018 Spirit of Manchester Business Award supported by Lloyds Banking Group.
  • As part of the Greater Manchester Poverty Action we collaborate with 100 organisations driven to eradicate food poverty in Manchester and elect to chair and deliver the Skills and Training programme.

  • Pantry Pod outdoor cooking sessions designed to inform social grocery hub shoppers how to reduce food waste whilst inspiring healthy cooking techniques.
  • Our partnerships with social housing associations grows through developing relationships with City West, Onward Homes, Southway Housing and Great Places. Our programme ranges from part participatory cooking activities to setting up outside in the high traffic areas to engage and encourage people to help with the cooking and receive some homemade food.
  • Awarded funding from Manchester Adult Education Service we deliver hands on cooking sessions throughout the year to residents of Manchester Councils temporary accommodation hostels.

  • COVID-19 Pandemic changed our focus from teaching to create good food cultures in communities, to providing nutritious meals to those shielding and low income households across the region. We delivered 99, 655 meals during the 16 month period.
  • Successfully delivered online and face to face training for community members wanting to gain an accredited certificate in Basic Food Hygiene and Food Allergen Awareness Training Level 2.
  • High Sheriff of Manchester visits to acknowledge the support of over 250 volunteers helping to cook, pack and deliver meals across Greater Manchester.
  • Gorton MP Afzal Khan visits our Gorton kitchen to see how his constituents are being supported during the pandemic.
  • We jointly take on a community plot at Alblemarle Allotment to support our community outreach work, creating pathways to fresh healthy food.
  • Founding Director Adele Jordan stepped down from the day to day running to undertake a Masters Degree in Sustainable Textiles. Replaced by Gemma Foxcroft.

  • Developed initiatives for the business community to support our mission through a summer launched 3 tiered Business Membership Scheme.
  • Cracking Good Cause of the Year designed to provide fundraising opportunities for public and private sector along with social groupings.
  • The Mayor and Mayoress of Manchester attend our Appreciation Event to thank and recognise the support of our volunteers and supporters throughout the pandemic. A joint celebration to finally acknowledge the 10 year lifetime of Cracking Good Food and opportunity to bid farewell to Founding Director Adele Jordan.
  • Delivery of our holiday food provision to children across Stockport. 2700 healthy packed lunches to combat Holiday Hunger were delivered during August.
  • The Clothworkers Foundation funded the provision of our first vehicle ‘Vera the Van’ and is welcomed by all the team. A great asset for the delivery of our Veg-Up programme redistributing over 2.5 tonnes of fresh produce destined for landfill from Fareshare and locally grown produce from allotments and growing schemes to young families in Salford and Stockport.
  • Nominated in the Greater Manchester Health and Care Champion Awards 2021.