Popular Okehampton community initiative, Community Feasts, has returned for the first time since covid to help Okehampton residents socialise through cooking activities and homemade meals.

The feasts were suspended during lockdown but, following a grant from Okehampton charity All Together Okehampton, the organisers have been able to restart the meetings.

The second took place this Saturday (September 17) and was on a budget friendly theme, in keeping with the current cost of living crisis,

Organiser Greta Button said: ‘We started again most recently with bit of funding from All Together Okehampton.

‘We arrange an evening where everyone who wants to or is able to brings a dish and we then make a big buffet table to share.

‘We have had themed nights (Polish food, harvest, bring a dish from where you grew up or come from to name a few). The event is fully inclusive, open to all.’

Along with the announcement in July, that the community initiative would be returning, came news that organisers would be able to introduce new activities to the meeting including morning family cooking activities and craft workshops. There was also a suggestion that there might be the possibility of including musical entertainment.

The last meeting included the new morning workshop, by invitation through the school, for children and parents to cook, chat, get creative and enjoy a communal lunch.

But those outside the school were able to join in the fun later in the evening, when all the Okehampton community were invited to bring their favourite budget-friendly dish be it meat-based, vegetarian or vegan, and enjoy a dinner together.

The community feast’s first meeting at the end of July had a barbecue and summer pizza theme.

The most recent Community Feast event on Saturday with the theme ‘Tasty food on a budget’ was a success and in the daytime a community feast workshop was held where children were involved with flower making, chopping, peeling and other food preparation activities in preparation for the community feast.

Sarah, admin of the Okehampton Community Feasts Facebook group said in response to the weekend feast: ‘It was a really good evening. Lots of people were there in the daytime. The kids made lots of flowers for the evening tables. The evening was the quietest feast we’ve had, but it was a lovely evening’.

For more information visit the Facebook group or contact Sarah on 07873 533106.