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TV chef visits Wimborne Community Garden during charity cycle
TV’s Rosemary Shrager did a cooking demonstration in Wimborne as part of her awareness campaign for food poverty.
TV chef and ‘I’m A Celebrity…’ contestant Rosemary Shrager paid a visit to Wimborne Community Garden on Saturday 7 June while taking a break from a gruelling 450-mile charity bike ride.
The 74-year-old took on the challenge to help raise funds and awareness for food poverty. She felt compelled to do a charity bike ride five years ago (even though, she admits, she’d never ridden on a bike before) after learning about the scale of the issue in the UK.
“11 per cent of the population is in food poverty, which horrifies me. It’s really bad,” she said.
“You don’t have to be poor to be in food poverty. It’s all sorts of people who can’t afford food, and these places [food banks and community organisations] are very important indeed. It’s humbling to see all the people who volunteer.”
The chef, who first became famous for teaching haute cuisine on the reality show ‘Ladette to Lady’ in 2005, set off on her epic ‘Two Wheels for Meals’ journey from Land’s End in Cornwall on 1 June. She aims to reach the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent by 18 June but admitted that the first days had been very hard.
“It’s been a tough old week. The hills have been unreal. Cornwall to here has been the roughest time.
“I’ve been training for 10 months, and training on the bike since February, trying to get fit. I’ve lost three stone. My trainer has been fabulous.”
Rosemary is aiming to raise £100,000 for Hendy Foundation, the independent charity affiliated with car dealership Hendy Group, which will distribute 100 per cent of all monies raised to local food poverty and food welfare charities across the south of England. Rosemary expressed her gratitude to Hendy Foundation for organising the bike ride, and to the team supporting her.
“Without support, I could not be doing this race. I have six drivers because they have to do a change over every few days. They’re so kind, because they know I’m struggling and they have to go very slowly up the hill.”
While in Wimborne, Shrager offered to do a cooking demonstration at Beaucroft College, showing how to use foods commonly available from a food bank to make chicken risotto and vegetable curry. She also used bay leaves plucked from Wimborne Community Garden.
Rosemary was full of praise for the community-run garden.
“Wimborne Community Garden is the most fabulous place. I couldn’t believe it. What they do here is marvellous.
“These people are magnificent and I’m in awe of them all.”
To donate towards Rosemary’s cause, visit https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/donation/two-wheels-for-meals.
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