Big Jubilee Lunch

Nureen will cook up a storm for The Big Jubilee Lunch

Nureen Glaves is a chef on a mission. Well, in her words, she’s a ‘feeder’. She combines her love of food and nutrition to bring people together from hard-to-reach groups, using her experience as a black, disabled woman to break down barriers and bring communities together.

And this June, she’ll be doing this on a huge scale as she brings hundreds of local people together to celebrate The Big Jubilee Lunch. She will be hosting the event for her Feed Me Good community and hopes around 100 kids (and their families) will come together to the ultimate street party. As for what Nureen will be making – she will be whipping up her newly-developed Sweet Love pancakes (get the recipe here).

The National Lottery-supported Feed Me Good project was set up in 2014 after Nureen felt disheartened by her previous roles in public health and food industries.

The project teaches people how to eat healthily through a variety of courses, provides knowledge on food nutrition and helps people to save money by shopping ‘smarter’. Set up specifically to champion health equality within groups such as black and ethnic minorities, people with learning difficulties and disabilities, low-income communities and young children, Nureen has dedicated the past 8 years to helping others live healthier and happier lives.

Alongside her cooking courses, one of Nureen’s main goals is to help her students integrate into their local communities. She says, “I bring people together – I use my superpowers which is food and nutrition. I bring people together to eat and to learn and then they forge those relationships and continue those relationships. That’s what I do.”

This work has also had a huge impact on Nureen’s self-confidence. After an accident left her with impaired sight and hearing as a child, Nureen felt like she went through school without being challenged, often feeling isolated and left to own devices because of her disabilities. She said, “I’m black and female, but I am also disabled. I’m half-blind, half-deaf and dyslexic, but I probably only got the confidence to say that out loud since I have been teaching children. When you work with primary school kids, they give you confidence in expressing yourself.”

The Big Lunch, an annual event bringing people together to share food, have fun and get to know each other, is just one of the amazing projects made possible by National Lottery players, who raise over £30Million each week for good causes. This year, to celebrate the Queen’s 70 years of service, the event has been renamed The Big Jubilee Lunch.

27th April 2022