Cooking basics workshops and open kitchen sessions are about to launch in Aberystwyth.

Social enterprise Aber Food Surplus is hosting free workshops on how to create delicious and nutritious meals on a budget, hosted in their newly launched community kitchen.

The non-profit is also hosting ‘Cook and Connect’ open kitchen sessions aimed at those who don’t have much cooking equipment, storage or facilities at home, to come and cook their own meals in community.

Making use of the new community kitchen at the enterprise's new, bigger premises on 5 Darkgate Street shared with Bwyd Dyfi Hub food network, the open kitchen sessions aim to “combat social isolation by making space for people to cook together”.

The cooking workshops are open to up to eight people, with all ingredients and materials provided.

Each participant in the session will cook enough for 4-6 people to go home with and be given a recipe print out.

The sessions begin on Thursday, 20 March with a hearty vegetable and lentil soup recipe, teaching budget meal planning, pantry staples, knife skills and batch cooking.

On 3 April attendees will learn to cook chickpea and spinach curry with flatbread, egg and veggie fried rice on 17 April and homemade falafel burgers on 1 May.

Each workshop will run from 1pm-3pm is free, but participants are welcome to make a donation.

The ‘Cook and Connect’ Open Kitchens are drop-in sessions every other Thursday starting 27 March at 12pm-3pm.

The Surplus team will run a quick kitchen induction and be available for hands-off support, but these will not be guided sessions.

The volunteer-run enterprise received funding from Ceredigion Food Poverty Network, Partneriaeth Bwyd Ceredigion (Ceredigion Food Partnership), Welsh Government and National Lottery Community Fund.

To sign up go to their booking form or email [email protected].