Having my own food product in a supermarket like Waitrose is the ABSOLUTE dream so discovering that a nationwide competition is in full swing where mine or indeed your soup, could be hitting shelves this winter EXCITES THE HECK OUT OF ME.
Heading to young people’s homeless charity Centrepoint’s HQ in Central London last week, saw me meet the legendary and super-charismatic Aldo Zilli for some veggie soup making (mostly eating on my part) and a chat about The Big Broth, a vital initiative.
Centrepoint’s The Big Broth will be giving one lucky amateur cook the chance to have their delicious recipe produced by Yorkshire Provender and will be sold in Waitrose stores across the UK in winter 2018, with a donation from each pot sold going to Centrepoint.
The money raised will help give vulnerable young people a safe place to stay, tackle health problems and find work.
If you need some soup inspiration, check out the Aldo’s Chicken Broth with Bread and Parmesan Dumplings. Yum!
Aldo was homeless himself as a young man and feels incredibly passionate about helping other vulnerable young people get back into education and up on their feet again, something Centrepoint is dedicated to in their work.
Centrepoint are hoping to sell over 200,000 pots of the winning soup in Waitrose shops, helping many in the process.
In April, five lucky finalists will be invited to a special cook-off event in London, where the winner of The Big Broth will be chosen by a panel of judges, including Aldo, founder of the Wahaca group of Mexican restaurants, Thomasina Miers and editor of Waitrose Kitchen magazine, William Sitwell.
Aldo said, ‘We will be looking for a soup made with quality ingredients. We want tasty and interesting flavour combinations. Plus, it’s important for the winner to have a passion for cooking; we hope they put their heart and soul into the recipe. Youth homelessness is an important cause to get behind and the winner’s recipe will genuinely help save lives’.
Richard Utting, Event Director from Centrepoint said, ‘There has always been a link between homelessness and soup, so we wanted to build on that and give the entire nation a chance to get involved. As well as raise awareness of youth homelessness in the UK, we also wanted a new way to help raise vital funds. And what better way, than through tasty food! We’re soup-er excited!’
Victoria Spooner, Buyer of Chilled Soups from Waitrose said, ‘We are a nation of soup lovers, from winter warmers to chilled gazpacho, and with so many creative cooks around the UK, we’re excited to see what flavours the public come up with! We’d love to see a delicious recipe that combines fresh and quality ingredients, and are thrilled we’ll be able to work with Yorkshire Provender to support Centrepoint, such a worthwhile charity, once the winning soup goes on sale’.
Whether it’s a classic recipe passed down through the generations or a new trendy bowl inspired by trips abroad, entries should be submitted at https://centrepoint.org.uk/thebigbroth by 29/03/18.
Watch the Live video of Aldo and I chatting and I also made a vlog too you can check out!
Centrepoint is the leading charity for homeless young people aged 16-25 and supports over 9,200 homeless young people a year directly and through it partner charities.
It provides accommodation-based and floating support services in London, Yorkshire, Sunderland and Manchester. It also runs the Freephone Centrepoint Helpline.
Centrepoint’s work is about more than just providing a safe bed for the night; Centrepoint helps young people to turn their lives around by gaining essential life skills; tackling their physical and mental health issues and moving into education or employment. Through policy work, Centrepoint aims to influence public policy, campaigning on behalf of the young people it supports and homeless young people throughout the UK.
Founded in 1969, Centrepoint has helped more than 116,000 homeless young people.
HRH The Duke of Cambridge became Centrepoint’s Patron in 2005.
For more information, please visit www.centrepoint.org.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/centrepoint.charity
Twitter: www.twitter.com/centrepointuk & #thebigbroth
YouTube: www.youtube.com/centrepointuk
Good luck and please, of course consider donating to help Centrepoint,
Thanks x
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