Jamaican-Style Patties Cook-Along with Jay Brave for Made In Hackney

This class started with a little drama, in that zoom, the platform that hosts all of these cook-alongs went AWOL. We had a bunch of cooking enthusiasts at the ready with all their ingredients weighed out, Jay all set up to smash it and no way of actually connecting to each other. But you know what? Didn’t matter, because despite a delay of a few hours, this class was totally brilliant and if anyone was even slightly bothered about the late start-time, they did an excellent job of hiding it! When I bit into my hot, crispy, flavoursome patty at the end of the class, I knew I had made it exactly when I was supposed to, because the taste was pure joy.

Made in Hackney’s online cook-alongs are the lockdown equivalent of the popular cookery classes they usually host in their Hackney kitchen. Once it became clear that covid 19 was on its way to UK and in full force, the community cookery school charity had no choice but to totally overhaul and rethink its usual services. Providing in-person cookery classes for some of London’s most vulnerable members of the community was no longer an option and the priority became about getting food to those people who would be most at risk during lockdown. A crowdfunder was born within what seems like a few hours, good people donated, volunteers came together and a lot of hard work resulted in an emergency meal service delivering 500 fresh, healthy cooked meals a day to London residents who need them the most. Even Olivia Coleman got involved.

Online cook alongs like this one have played a vital role of raising funds to continue this service.

Once we were all able to see each other on our screens, activist, performer, Made In Hackney youth ambassador and all round inspiring individual Jay Brave led us on a journey which took us from a bunch of chopped up veggies to aromatic, tasty Jamaican patties. In between, we got loads of useful tips, plenty of banter and the secret to perfectly spiced veg.

I went a bit extra and made two different types of pastry. One was a vibrant yellow turmeric pastry and the other was made with moringa and spinach, so had a lovely green hue and a perfect earthy flavour. We didn’t have the exact ingredients required for the class improvised a bit. The insides were packed with veggies, tofu and bulgur wheat. I was so impressed with the final result and scoffed two straight away.

Absolutely loved this class and will be making patties regularly from now on. Just watch me.

If you’re able to join one of Made In Hackney’s online classes, please do as they’re so much fun and a great way to connect with others. Classes are donation based and money raised goes to an outstanding cause Oh and also, you can do it in your PJs because no one will ever know. Upcoming classes are listed here.

For further info about Made In Hackney’s emergency meal service, including to how to refer someone in need of meals, visit their website.