GCU invited to get a taste of sustainability through new cookbook
Students and staff are being encouraged to look out their pots and pans thanks to GCU’s Dietetics Society providing us with their very own collection of tasty recipes.
The Sustainable Food ABC Cookbook was officially launched at a British Dietetic Association (BDA) event in February and is now ready to download following a years’ worth of work by dedicated Human Nutrition and Dietetics students.
Catherine Campbell, Cate Goodman, Douglas Livingston, Nikola Mazur, Elaine Penman, Laura Cacheda Roces & Lisa Singh all played a role in the final production, alongside guest editor Louise Symington.
President of the Dietetics Society, Douglas Livingston, explained more about the inspiration behind the online resource.
He said: “In September 2019, we attended a BDA event which focused on dietitians leading the way forward in sustainable diets. Elaine then came up with the idea of Sustainable Food ABC, which was a social media campaign aiming to increase awareness of our diets, food systems and waste.
In collaboration with the Common Good Society, we also applied for the Dragon’s Den fund and got awarded money - allowing us to host an event on campus last year.
I felt this gave people the opportunity to take away some information, however we recognised that it’s better to give them something to work towards with that new knowledge. That was what led to the suggestion of the cookbook and how everything started to come together.”
Douglas added: “We were lucky when it actually came to releasing the cookbook. Elaine’s the Student Rep for BDA Glasgow and West Scotland branch and was able to arrange a launch event on their sustainable diets webinar. It gave us the perfect platform to discuss the contents and we received glowing praise from the two sustainable experts that attended.”
The event also led to recognition for Strathclyde University PHD student Andrea Kozlowski, who was revealed as the winner of best recipe for her bell pepper and onion quiche. Douglas insists that Andrea wasn’t the only one who produced great quality recipes for the cookbook.
He explained: “We’ve had phenomenal submissions and it was really interesting to see people sharing their flavour and texture combinations. We were sent a variety of different meals and snacks from students, staff, dietitians and even a sustainable food group from Robert Gordon University.
My favourite recipe has to be my brownies! It’s made with vegan chocolate and the base is made from flour, sugar and oil - which acts as the binding agent rather than eggs.”
Douglas added: “Since it’s a student cookbook, we’ve also formatted it so that it follows the seasons involved in an academic year; autumn to summer. An environmentally friendly diet is one that uses seasonal products, so that was another one of the main reasons for doing it like this.”
Having already been recognised as a One Blue Dot Champion by the BDA, the cookbook has also been recently nominated for an illustrious GCU Students’ Association’s STAR Award.
Douglas was delighted by the praise received so far and provided one final piece of motivation to encourage the GCU Community to get online and get downloading.
He explained: “It’s great to hear all the positive feedback and all our lecturers are really proud of us as well. We’re all really blown away by the quality of it and that’s testament to everyone that’s been involved with it.
The cookbook tells you everything you need to know to get started and signposts to further documents if you’re interested in making your life that little bit more sustainable. It talks about storage and most efficient ways to cook – as well as where and when to get your seasonal ingredients.
It’s also important to remember that the environmentally friendly diet isn’t necessarily a meat-free diet. So, if you do like meat then you can go for it too – there really is something for everyone!”
So, there you have it - what are you waiting for? Access the Sustainable Food ABC Cookbook today!
You can also follow GCU Dietetics Society on Facebook and Twitter.
By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter