A cookery school connecting communities through food is coming to Windmill Hill

In this heartfelt piece, Tilda Teale (pictured left) shares her experience cooking a Turkish feast with Halise, a refugee chef supported by Migrateful — an award-winning charity empowering migrants through food. As they prepare to open a dedicated cookery school at Windmill Hill City Farm, Migrateful is calling on the public to help bring this vital community space to life. Donate now to their Crowdfunder — every pound up to £250 will be doubled.

I was invited by Migrateful, an award-winning charity, to spend an evening learning how to cook a traditional Turkish feast from Halise, one of their refugee and migrant cooks. For many people forced to leave their homes, food is one of the few ties to home they can carry with them, and being able to share this in an intimate setting was all the more meaningful.

Over the course of the evening, our group – made up of people all ages and backgrounds – quickly became friends as we prepared seven dishes, including my favourites the Imaam Bayildi (stuffed fried aubergine) and Sarma (stuffed vine leaves). While we fried (and slightly burnt – whoops) some pisi (fried bread), Halise shared with us stories of recipes passed down from her grandmother for fresh yogurt and cheese and played us Turkish pop songs from her childhood.

Migrateful is opening their own cookery school to offer more classes taught by refugee and migrant cooks in Windmill Hill City Farm this Autumn. This dedicated space in the centre of South Bristol’s green hub, will provide refugees and migrants from Turkey, Sudan, Sri Lanka and more, with paid work, training and a place to share their recipes and culture with other Bristolians.

Founded in 2017 by Jess Thompson (a fellow Bristolian), Migrateful supports refugees and migrants on their journey to employment and independence by enabling them to teach cookery classes to the public. In Bristol alone, Migrateful has supported 17 migrant chefs to teach nearly 300 cookery classes to more than 3,000 participants.

Cooking classes with Migrateful are more than just lessons in food. With a model based on Gordon Allport’s “contact theory”, they use meaningful interactions to break down cultural barriers and improve public perceptions towards migrant communities. Migrateful chefs undergo a two-year training programme, beginning with 12 weeks of foundational training, before leading sessions for public and corporate groups. Not only do the classes challenge negative perceptions towards migration in the UK, they also provide opportunities for Migrateful chefs to build on confidence and language skills.

“It felt very good to be recognised by Migrateful, for my talent to be recognised. I have wanted to open a restaurant for a long time, but my family has experienced very difficult times. Now I can think about the future, and build my confidence and skills through teaching classes, and sharing my culture, and food, with others.” Commented Bristol-based chef Jaufferkhan from Sri Lanka.

Safe spaces for refugees to come together are especially important now, in the wake of the August 2024 riots. Bristol, and many other cities across the country, saw a rise in violence towards asylum seekers, leaving many minority communities feeling more isolated and vulnerable than ever.

I spoke to Georgia Luling Feilding, Migrateful’s Bristol manager, about the impact that a Bristol hub will have: “Having our own space where our chefs can come together and socialise and connect with volunteers and local people will make a big difference to the sense of community we are building through the programme. It will also help to ensure the sustainability of the Bristol branch, meaning we can grow and deepen our impact in Bristol.”

After the success of the organisation in London, Migrateful expanded to Bristol in 2019, partnering with Coexist Community Kitchen in Easton, and later running classes from St Werburghs Community Centre and the Mazi Project.

These partnerships have been invaluable, but the organisation now needs a permanent and purpose built cookery school in order to continue to grow. The vibrant city farm location will put Migrateful on the map with new communities and foster new connections with local businesses.

If you would like to support the opening of this brilliant cookery school, you can donate to Migrateful’s Crowdfunder – all donations up to £250 will be matchfunded, meaning your impact will be doubled.

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