India faces many challenges in improving food security. More obvious problems like drought are intertwined with a complex social and economic landscape. To be successful, India must meet head on with these challenges. A new, innovative vision of food security is needed.

The TIGR2ESS programme, which covers a wide range of disciplines from the University of Cambridge and many collaborators across India, is helping to shape an agricultural revolution in India. One of our projects, Flagship Project 6, is doing this by encouraging the growth of crops which can be introduced into people’s diets to improve their health.

TIGR2ESS researchers working for collaborator NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health have developed a nutrition education method called a mobile teaching kitchen. The team behind this initiative has developed nutritious recipes, using healthy and often underused ingredients such as the grain millet. The project has empowered marginalised women in Kolkata, India to sell healthy food and deliver nutrition education to customers in a microenterprise model.

Given the wide variety of food preferences in the UK, and the popularity of Indian flavours, we believe these healthy recipes will be enjoyed by and also benefit a UK audience. Because of this, NNEdPro has created a cookbook, inspired by recipes cooked by women taking part in the mobile teaching kitchen project. As part of the 2021 Cambridge Festival, we’re showcasing some of these recipes in an online cook-along session.

Join us on 29 March to learn how to cook healthy, nutritious Indian food and get a first glimpse of the recipe book. You’ll also get to hear from members of the NNEdPro and TIGR2ESS teams to discover what a community-led food revolution looks like:

• NNEdPro - Professor Sumantra Ray (Medical Doctor and Registered Nutritionist)
• Dr Luke Buckner (Medical Doctor)
• Dr Kathy Martyn (Registered Nurse & Registered Nutritionist)
• Elaine MacAninch (Registered Dietitian)
• Jaroslav Guzanic (Executive Chef)
• Sucheta Mitra (Social Scientist)
• TIGR2ESS – Sarah Bailey (Impact, Data and Outreach Manager)
• TIGR2ESS – Marla Fuchs (Programme Manager)

Certain ingredients will be available in recipe packs for those living in Cambridge to collect in the week before the event on a first come, first serve basis, but we encourage you to join from wherever you are currently based. We’ll tell everyone who signs up the ingredients needed, with all ingredients readily available in UK shops or online.

The cookbook will be available to purchase after the event, with proceeds from e-copies going directly to support women and communities benefiting from the Mobile Teaching Kitchen in Kolkata.

We hope you can join us!

Please note that this event includes an online cook-along demonstration, however you can still attend the event without cooking at home.