On a recent Saturday afternoon, the WISH community space transformed into my grandma’s kitchen in North India, full of fragrant spices and old-school Bollywood music. After moving away from home, weekend afternoons never looked the same. I always felt that I had left far behind the comfort of home, the fragrance of afternoon food, and the sound of pressure cooker whistles. 

However, on that Saturday afternoon, with the help of our lovely South Asian volunteers, we revived our sense of belonging. We had a lovely afternoon where food, stories, and shared laughter came together to celebrate our human experience of sharing our cultures and stories. We hosted a Curry Making Workshop on July 12, 2025, welcoming local families and individuals for an exploration of South Asian food culture.

Your author, Pranati, demonstrates cooking basics to the group.

Facilitated by Anoop Soni, Bindin, and me, this three-hour session involved cooking curry alongside celebrating cultural identity, exploring spice histories, and discovering how cooking together can be a powerful act of sustainability.

We gathered around spice boxes and chopping boards, music playing softly in the background. We began the workshop with conversations about the properties of turmeric, the cooling effect of cumin, and how cardamom evokes memories of home. It was a ​​reminder that recipes often carry memories, migration, and healing within them.

Volunteer Anoop Soni provides instruction.

The event was open to all, but especially resonated with those in our Oxfordshire community looking to connect through culture. The workshop was free to attend and designed with the intention of promoting family cooking and bringing awareness to the Carbon Cost of food through locally sourced, surplus ingredients. Eating local and eating food surplus are two approaches to adopting a more climatarian diet.

As part of our wider mission at Cherwell Collective, we brought together multiple programmes and collaborations, the Climatarian Kitchen, which provided the cooking equipment and ingredients,  and Waste Innovation Station HQ (WISH), where we hosted the event. The event was a part of our FEAST campaign with Good Food Oxfordshire, where we host cookery courses for young families focused on using surplus ingredients to make sustainable, simple, and healthy meals. 

A cornucopia of ingredients to get started.

What made this workshop a heartwarming experience was how quickly the space turned into a home. Participants talked about dishes they grew up eating, and learned how spices were once used as medicine, not just for flavour. Here are some key statistics from the course:

  • Over 60% of respondents felt that coming along to the family cookery session had helped them build their confidence to cook for themselves and their kids.
  • 100% of respondents said attending the session had helped them learn new skills, feel positive about their community, and meet up with people.
  • People particularly liked the curry and sampling it at the end of the session, the guidance offered, and the opportunity to cook with others.
Participants prepare produce for their dishes.

As an organisation, we’re reminded again that sustainability doesn’t have to be something we preach; it could be a dance of music, food, and shared experience. This workshop reminded us of the accessibility and power of connecting people to climate conversations through culture. We left the space feeling full, not just from the delicious food, but from the warmth and connection in the room.

Want to be part of something like this?

Keep an eye on our upcoming events via the Cherwell Collective socials or get in touch to volunteer, co-create, or join future workshops. We’re always looking for people to bring their stories, skills, and curiosity to the table.

Two participants mix their curries.