February 20, 2017

Photograph Peter Dixon
What an amazing occasion! Our first Nourish Afternoon Tea turned out to be everything I could have hoped for and more. To have my mum and dad, my daughter Maya, treasured friends and patients living with dementia, cancer and other health conditions, alongside charity partners and supporters of Nourish, was incredible.
Guests included our wonderful patron Prue Leith CBE, who spoke warmly of all that Nourish stands for and recalled when she first made the connection between the food we eat and its contribution to healing, happiness and wellbeing. We were honoured to welcome Monty Python star Terry Jones, who was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia last year. Cartoonist Tony Husband told the story behind his beautiful book Take Care, Son, which illustrates the experience of his father’s dementia. Tony also went around the room drawing people’s memories, which were hilarious and touching. A huge thanks to Dementia UK, Gransnet, Maggie’s, Mumsnet, The Silver Line and Unforgettable for coming along and helping to spread the word about Nourish and The Nourish Afternoon Tea. And to the members of the press who reported on the event and put Nourish in the news.
Guests included our wonderful patron Prue Leith CBE, who spoke warmly of all that Nourish stands for and recalled when she first made the connection between the food we eat and its contribution to healing, happiness and wellbeing. We were honoured to welcome Monty Python star Terry Jones, who was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia last year. Cartoonist Tony Husband told the story behind his beautiful book Take Care, Son, which illustrates the experience of his father’s dementia. Tony also went around the room drawing people’s memories, which were hilarious and touching. A huge thanks to Dementia UK, Gransnet, Maggie’s, Mumsnet, The Silver Line and Unforgettable for coming along and helping to spread the word about Nourish and The Nourish Afternoon Tea. And to the members of the press who reported on the event and put Nourish in the news.

Of course, you can’t have afternoon tea without treats to tuck into. The Nourish team, including chefs Clare Gray and Andreas Wingert, with support from Suzanne James, created an incredible spread. All the recipes were devised to taste amazing but also to suit anyone with challenges around eating, so the feast was accessible to all. It’s a key belief of Nourish that everyone deserves to have access to delicious food that offers both nourishment and pleasure.

With huge bowls of trifle on the table, platters of finger sandwiches, savoury custards and drop scones – and great company – no one wanted to leave. But that’s okay, because the Nourish Afternoon Tea wasn’t a one-off event. We’re encouraging anyone who wants to empower themselves or those they care for through food and nourishment to host their own Nourish Afternoon Tea. We’ve created a toolkit with invitations, place cards and a menu, and all our exclusive recipes, which you can download from the Nourish Afternoon Tea website.

Join our campaign to put food and nourishment back at the heart of our lives, to support those who are poorly or have health challenges around eating, and to connect with each other around the kitchen table, with a tray on our laps, or with a cup of tea in our hand. Together, we can put nourishment back on the menu.

With huge bowls of trifle on the table, platters of finger sandwiches, savoury custards and drop scones – and great company – no one wanted to leave. But that’s okay, because the Nourish Afternoon Tea wasn’t a one-off event. We’re encouraging anyone who wants to empower themselves or those they care for through food and nourishment to host their own Nourish Afternoon Tea. We’ve created a toolkit with invitations, place cards and a menu, and all our exclusive recipes, which you can download from the Nourish Afternoon Tea website.

Join our campaign to put food and nourishment back at the heart of our lives, to support those who are poorly or have health challenges around eating, and to connect with each other around the kitchen table, with a tray on our laps, or with a cup of tea in our hand. Together, we can put nourishment back on the menu.