The Occasional Kitchen

26/12/2024

Due to staff illness we’re looking for a last minute helper to work with us on our FUEL project.

Over the NY period we cook/deliver meals to thousands of kids in the Wiltshire area.

Working dates 29th - 31st

2nd - 4th

If anyone is free and looking for a great way to earn some money, and contribute to something incredibly value, please give me a shout.

Much love 💚💚

18/12/2024

🧀 Mac ‘n’ Cheese + Mustard?! 🌭+🍝

It might sound surprising, but adding a little mustard to your mac ‘n’ cheese is a game-changer for flavor! The tangy bite of mustard cuts through the richness of the cheese, adding a layer of complexity to this classic comfort dish. It's especially popular in certain Southern and Midwestern U.S. kitchens, where people swear by a sq**rt of mustard to enhance the sharpness of the cheddar.

The mustard trick likely originated from cooks looking for ways to balance creamy textures with zesty flavors, and it’s become a secret ingredient in many mac ‘n’ cheese recipes ever since. Whether you use yellow mustard or something spicier like Dijon, this simple twist can elevate your favorite dish to a new level of deliciousness.

Would YOU try this? What’s your favourite mac ‘n’ cheese hack? Let us know in the comments below!👇 And don’t forget to tag a friend who’d either love this—or raise an eyebrow! 😆

17/12/2024

🥑 Avocado + Chocolate?! 🍫

Here’s a combo that’s smooth, creamy, and surprisingly delicious—avocado and chocolate! 🥑🍫 While it might seem like a modern food trend, this pairing actually has deep historical roots. The Mayans were among the first to enjoy chocolate in its purest form—often as a bitter drink—and they were also fond of the mighty avocado. Combining these two rich, nutrient-packed ingredients seems like a match made in ancient heaven

Fast forward to today, and this combo has become a favourite in the world of vegan desserts and for health-conscious foodies. Using avocado in chocolate recipes like mousse or pudding adds a creamy texture without the need for heavy cream, making it a delicious and nutritious indulgence.

Would YOU try this ancient-inspired pairing? Let us know in the comments if you’re team Avocado + Chocolate! Tag someone who needs to experience this creamy and dreamy combo 👇

16/12/2024

Delighted to share the news that we have been awarded a Media Cymru grant for our project:

“The Green Plate Project”

Can’t wait to share more with you in due course ✌️

WELSH FILM AND TV COMPANIES AWARDED FUNDING TO DEVELOP NEW IDEAS FOR GREENING THE SCREEN SECTOR

Ffilm Cymru Wales and Media Cymru have invested £307,675 in the development of seven innovative projects aiming to make Wales’ screen sector greener.

The projects are led by film and TV production companies, studios and facilities based in the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR), and cover varied elements of production, including power, transport, food, water, and construction materials.

Informed by BAFTA albert's Screen New Deal Transformation Plan for Wales, the Greening The Screen Development Fund was designed and delivered by Ffilm Cymru Wales and Media Cymru to develop innovative ways to make the Welsh TV and film sector more environmentally sustainable. The open call for applications was launched in May, and submissions were judged by an independent panel of sustainability experts, as well as representatives from Ffilm Cymru Wales and Media Cymru.

Greening the Screen Development Funding has been awarded to:

Afanti Media
TV production company Afanti will invest in portable mobile charging and off-grid battery solutions to replace diesel generators and support transition to electric vehicles. By trialling a leasing model to provide flexible equipment access across the industry, the project will help create a sustainable infrastructure that internal and external productions can access and utilise as they move around the country, reducing their environmental impact.

The Full EV
Electric vehicle (EV) charging specialists The Full EV will develop a range of electric-only power sources to allow film and TV productions to substantially decarbonise their location shoots. They aim to eliminate the use of diesel generators and replace them with renewable generation and smart use of the electric grid.

The Occasional Kitchen
Film and TV catering company The Occasional Kitchen aims to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of location catering. Using a pre-order menu app with sustainability ratings for choices, they will reduce waste and encourage positive change through empowerment and education.

On Par Productions
The film and video production company intend to revolutionise filmmaking in Wales by developing sustainable Virtual Production (VP) services, cutting carbon emissions. Partnering with industry leaders, they will create cost-effective and eco-friendly production pipelines, train talent, and produce a compelling case study, setting a new green standard for the film and TV industry in Wales.

Protem Lighting
Lighting and power company Protem Lighting will develop their Protempod battery generators, which provide 100% clean energy for film and TV sets. The Protempod innovation will eliminate carbon emissions, runtime anxiety and improve the way clean power is distributed on set.

Re-Scene It
Re-Scene It aims to create a construction and set material recycling and repurposing hire service with an online presence and educational hub for the Welsh media industry, as well as the wider local community. Their goal is to minimise waste and maximize potential by ensuring these resources are obtainable for future projects.

Wolf Studios Wales
The studio filming location of Doctor Who, His Dark Materials and Industry will analyse the water usage at their 7-stage, 250,000 square foot high-end TV production hub. Working with experts to complete a full audit and then install and trial a variety of different applications and technologies to reduce and recycle water, they hope to influence consumption culture and reduce the carbon footprint of the site.

Louise Dixey, Sustainability Manager at Ffilm Cymru Wales, says: “There was a high level of competitive applications for this Development Fund. Ffilm Cymru Wales congratulates the seven awardees. They comprise a diverse portfolio of innovative R&D projects that support implementation of priorities in the Screen New Deal: Transformation Plan for Wales. Key themes include shifting to renewable energy, rethinking transport, a circular approach to tackling material and food waste, information gathering and collaboration, and culture change. I look forward to working with this cohort and seeing how these projects can pilot a path to the ambitious goal of creating net zero carbon and zero waste targets in the screen sector.”

Prof Justin Lewis, Director of Media Cymru and Professor of Communication and Creative Industries at the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Culture says: “The successful projects demonstrate a breadth of innovative solutions in significantly reducing the sector’s carbon footprint. We look forward to working with this exciting new cohort of innovators as part of the 2024 fund and moving the needle on making Wales an exemplar in greening screen production.”

Funding and Training Ffilm Cymru provides a range of programmes to develop & sustain a strong Welsh film industry. Cinemas, film festivals & pop-ups Film Careers & Training Film Development & Production Film Education Production companies Green Cymru

13/12/2024

The 2024 stats are in, and we’re feeling good 🌞
Huge well done to & for all their hard efforts helping to set up our new community farm - if you haven’t done so already, why not check it out .
We hope to continue building on our successes in 2025, but we can’t do this alone. Please consider donating this Christmas to give us a head start in spring! More details to follow.

13/12/2024

"Food is an important part of a balanced diet." - Fran Lebowitz 🍽️

What are you planning to eat or cook this weekend? We'd love to see your delicious plates of food! Share a picture of your plate, tag occasional kitchen and use the hashtag .

Wishing everyone a Happy weekend! 🌟

🍴📸

10/12/2024

🌿 "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." - Michael Pollan 🌿

What do you plan to eat or cook this weekend? We'd love to see your delicious plates of food! Share a picture of your plate, tag , and use the hashtag .

Wishing everyone a Happy weekend! 🍽️📸

🌟

05/11/2024

Sad times for us all 💚

We love you WOMAD Festival, roll on 2026

We have an update about WOMAD Festival 2025 to share with you all:

After a hugely successful 42nd year, over which time we have put on over 300 festivals around the world, we are pleased to announce that WOMAD is moving to a new home, not far from our site for the past 17 years in Wiltshire. To ensure that the festival can continue to thrive for years to come in our new location, we have decided to take a year off in 2025 before returning fully charged in 2026.

WOMAD, like many festivals and events, has seen some challenges post covid and we are now engaged in the process of re-evaluating, regenerating and reinvigorating everything we do - and where we want to go in the future. We’re delighted to say we’ll be announcing our new plans over the next few weeks.

Over the next 12 months we are full steam ahead with a number of WOMAD festivals around the world including WOMADelaide, WOMAD New Zealand and WOMAD Cáceres with plans for further events in Las Palmas, Brazil and Chile, as well as exploring a special UK event for next year to deliver a taste of the unique WOMAD experience– hopefully to be announced in the coming weeks.

We want to send a massive "Thank You" to all of the brilliant staff at Charlton Park who made us feel welcome for the last 17 years, pulling us out of many sticky situations (quite literally, on those rainy weekends!). We couldn’t have done what we did without you.

Also, to the fabulous community in Malmesbury, Charlton, and all the surrounding villages for whom we created a few days of disruption each year. You have always responded positively and embraced WOMAD, welcoming us into your community and working with us in so many ways.

Finally, thank you to all of the Festival-Goers, Artists, Crew, Contractors, Volunteers, and Traders who make WOMAD possible, a treasure in the festival calendar and a vital contribution to bringing communities together from all over the world to celebrate diversity and tolerance through Music, Arts, Dance, and Culture.

We look forward to welcoming you all to our new site in 2026.

Peter and The WOMAD Team

04/11/2024

Beauty is everywhere .. you just have to choose to see it 💚

25/10/2024

Love this

Same

20/10/2024

The very best cold remedy 💚

Organic and natural elderberry syrup used to boost your immune system through the Autumn and Winter months. Handmade with the finest ingredients.

04/10/2024

Radio 4’s The Food Programme covered this before the summer. Sometime during the 70s, fat became the enemy and sugar/low fat, the saviour.

I don’t think for a second that most adults would assume that flavoured yoghurts/granola bars are “bad” foods.

In order to make any kind of realistic change, we need to examine how we got here. There are countless environmental, social, and economic factors at play.

Personally, I think it’s really important that these statistics are not used to shame parents, who have grown up during a time, that made convenience feel like the best or only choice available.

I won’t pretend to have all the answers, but what I will say is that my Grandad’s council house had a massive garden, he grew all his own vegetables. We cooked in school, had really healthy school dinners, and a growing plot on the grounds, used by the kitchens.

Every step we take away from the connection we have to the land around us, and every extra “step” added to the field to fork chain, creates worse outcomes for everyone, except for those companies making insane amounts of money being part of the process.

Review also finds by the time children are seven, 59% of calories come from UPFs

20/09/2024

True story ✌️

10/09/2024

Feel this 🙏🏻

🤣😂

08/09/2024

Literally nothing better on a Sunday roast than the cauliflower cheese. Esp the banger I’m currently cooking, with Gruyère, wild mushrooms and truffle 💚

What’s your favourite part of a roast dinner?

(Disclaimer old WOMAD Festival picture because the lighting is dreadful in the kitchen)

04/09/2024

Restaurant pet hates.

When servers say “Enjoy” on delivering your food.

I don’t like being commanded to enjoy my food, thank you.

“I hope you enjoy your food, please let me know if you need anything” is much more appropriate.

Anything that irritates you, just as much?