Waitara Pataka Kai manager Amy Olsen with student solo mum of two Nikita Dravitski. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
A Taranaki food bank is rustling up savings and nutritious grub at a series of popular cooking classes.
Waitara Pataka Kai's nine-week pilot programme caters for 16 people at a time - mostly from family groups.
Manager Amy Olsen begins the evening at Waitara High School's fully-appointed food tech classroom by outlining what is on the menu.
"Tonight, we've got beef koftas with rice pilafs and a satay sauce and we are also making a dessert. They've got a choice between self-saucing puddings. There's a chocolate and a lemon one."
Waitara Pataka Kai manager Amy Olsen. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Olsen said her work at the food bank inspired the idea of the classes, which were open to anyone.
"We really wanted to give people these beautiful vegetable baskets in their parcels and a lot of people were sort of like 'what do we do with this?'
"Especially obscure stuff but also the everyday stuff, and it became quite apparent that people didn't know how to use a lot of things and they had very, very basic cooking skills."
A chef by trade, Olsen, taught people how to make ingredients go another round by repurposing leftovers and also gave tips on how to save on groceries.
"I'm teaching how to buy cleverly at the supermarket too. So, on a Monday I look at what's on special. Mince is on special, so we're going to use mince.
"And on Monday I set the menu and do all the ordering and stuff, just like you would at home.
"I go 'well, I'm not buying chicken thighs at $25 a kilo when I can get mince on special'."
The Burnard family - clockwise from left foreground, Riley, 9, Helena Simpson (Barbara's sister), Barbara Burnard and Blake, 16. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Barbara Burnard, a mother of six, and her husband both worked, but they were still feeling the pinch.
"With him being self-employed, my income is our main income and we are getting supported by WINZ on a benefit as well.
"So, yeah, it's just about the cost of living. We pay a ridiculous amount of rent, so it's just being able to lower our grocery bill overall."
She knew what she wanted out of the course.
"When I first heard about it [the classes], I contacted Amy, and I said 'I kind of know how to cook, but we cook the same things all the time and it either comes from a packet or all my sauces come from pre-made bottles, and I want to learn how to add variety to our dinners and get the kids involved'."
Blake, 16, who was busy stirring cake mix, was enjoying the experience.
"I'm making the dessert part of the meal, the sauce of the pudding. I'm mixing this up and adding the rest of it ... the flour, the baking powder, cocoa and the egg."
He reckoned he was helping out at home more after attending class and younger brother Riley, 9, was becoming a dab hand at porridge.
Nikita Dravitski. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Solo mum of two Nikita Dravitski reckoned she had picked up some valuable tips.
"I never knew you could eat the branches on broccoli and how to cut it properly, and just [using] simple ingredients, because the cost of living is just s--t.
"It's just me and the kids, and I work full-time down at ANZCO, and I'm spending close to $300 a week on groceries, so I needed to do something."
The cooking classes were made possible through a $4500 grant from New Plymouth District Council.