Check the recipe here:
Squash and Mushroom Wellingtons with Kale Pesto
Growing Well is a unique farm-based Mental Health Charity near Kendal, providing a powerful alternative or accompaniment to therapy, where the cycle of food from field to fork is central to everything they do.
Working with adults in Cumbria and North Lancashire who are experiencing mental health illness, the charity provides a sanctuary where individuals can help with a range of different jobs where the activity is the therapy.
In addition to donations, the farm relies on the sales of its veg boxes in the local area and the organic produce is also used to supply local business and to create special, added value retail products.
Visitors are able to play different roles in different parts of the dynamic enterprise, take courses and classes, interact with peers and learn new life skills such as growing veg, cooking and goal-setting.
Head of Catering at Growing Well, Sarah Hill, said:
“The kitchen is an integral part of the recovery process at Growing Well. We are an organic horticulture site growing a wide range of fruit and vegetables for a local crop share scheme and other retail and catering outlets but any surplus is donated to our kitchen to create healthy delicious vegan food for beneficiaries and staff daily. After all the hard graft, there has to be reward.”
“The menu is changed daily depending on what surplus vegetables are available from the field so it’s a case of ready, steady, cook. It certainly tests our creativity to come up with a menu and also produce different retail products that are varied, healthy and delicious, especially in the winter months. We currently have five types of squash, kale, potatoes, onions, cabbages and chard, which we often turn into curries, stews, soups and risottos using the Country Range spices and herbs. Occasionally we will create pies or pastries and this Squash, Mushroom and Kale Pesto Wellington is one of our favourites.”