Nutritionists from the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute have teamed up with local fish producer, Sutherland's of Portsoy, to help create healthy grocery boxes.
Staff from the Institute’s Human Nutrition Unit would normally be cooking and preparing food for volunteers taking part in research studies, however with everyone working from home, the team have turned their attention to creating nutritious recipes for the local community.
Working with Sutherland’s of Portsoy, Rowett staff have produced recipe cards to accompany the produce in the grocery boxes being delivered around the north of Scotland.
The cards are designed to give people the opportunity to create their own tasty meals using the produce from the box.
Dr Julia Mitchell from the Rowett Institute said: “We are delighted to be able to join forces with Sutherland’s of Portsoy to help come up with some healthy and nutritional recipes based on what is included in the grocery boxes.
“The recipes provide cooking and nutritional information which can be changed and added to depending on what you have in your fridge, freezer or cupboards. While they are going out with the grocery boxes delivered by John’s team, the recipes are also available for everyone to view or download from the Rowett website.
“Many people will be missing visiting restaurants and eating out, but hopefully our recipes will provide inspiration for some healthy home cooking.”
John Farley from Sutherland’s of Portsoy added: “We felt as we had the infrastructure already in place with our door to door fish van sales, we have a social and moral obligation to help the vulnerable in these troubled times.
"The service is of significant value to those using it being in what we term the food desert of the north east. The elderly customer base we have serviced for years appreciate being able to access protein, plant and pleasure from one box, but for me working with the Rowett to mitigate waste of both product and packaging is equally as important. To create a fresh food source which can be made into nutritious meals has to be the way forward once this virus has passed. Moving away from processed products which do little to improve our well being has so much value- I feel we can expand this project further as the weeks develop.”
To view the recipes visit https://www.abdn.ac.uk/rowett/policy-industry/sutherlands.php or for more information about the grocery boxes contact John Kelly, Operations Director based at Portsoy on 01261 842448 or visit https://gourmetschoice.net/