With the cost of gas and electricity set to rise again this year, many of us are seeking to reduce our fuel consumption. An organisation from the North West has designed and manufactured Thermal Cooking Bags, which can be used to decrease cooking time. The Larder, an organisation set up in Preston to tackle food poverty, has planned to sell and promote the bags. We wanted to find out more.
“The Thermal Cooking Bag is inspired by medieval ways of cooking,” said Paula Gamester, Director of the Sewing Rooms in Skelmersdale. “We use our ovens to cook casseroles for three or four hours a time not realising that ovens are among the most energy-demanding appliances in our homes. Aside from our fridge, the oven is likely responsible for the highest energy consumption out of all our kitchen appliances.”
She continued: “Lots of us are feeling the pinch and having to make choices about where we can save money. Some of us have tougher choices to make than others. The elderly and food bank users, already experiencing hardship, are finding that this latest hike in living costs is forcing them into fuel poverty and into impossible living conditions. We at the Sewing Rooms wanted to be part of the solution.
“The thermal bag is based on medieval methods of cooking and more recently ‘Haybox Cooking’; a process that has been developed over the years and now we have produced our own modern, portable, washable version. By choosing The Sew Fab Thermal Cooking Bag over your usual oven method, you can reduce cooking fuel consumption by up to 70 per cent per meal, saving on average one tonne of carbon emissions per year.”
Made from predominantly repurposed materials the cooking bags are planet-kind on many levels.
The Larder, in Lancaster Road, will be hosting an event to promote Thermal Cooking Bags on Wednesday 27 July from 5pm to 7pm.
During the event, there will be a full demonstration on how to use the Thermal Cooking Bag from Paula, and an opportunity to sample different dishes that have been cooked using the bag. There will be bags available to purchase on the evening and for every two that The Larder sells, one bag will be donated to a person/family in the local community who may be in need and would benefit from a reduction in their fuel costs for cooking.
The Larder will be running a project over the summer supplying the families with bags, as well as a voucher to buy fresh fruit and vegetables and online cooking classes with instructions on how to use the bags.
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