About Real Food Works

Preal food works vans












We are a socially directed business, supporting people in adopting a healthier lifestyle, through ‘down to earth’, hand’s-on cooking workshops and demonstrations.
We do this through sessions which are:
  • Suitable for all ages
  • delivered in the community
  • cost-effective
  • fully mobile
  • tailor made for each group/organisation
We started operating in November 2004 with the aim of addressing the poor health statistics in Wansbeck, a part of the former mining area of Northumberland.
Since then the aim has changed from being a response to the issue of access to fresh fruit and vegetables, to one which addresses wider and more fundamental aspects of the poor diet and health of the whole N.E region through awareness raising activities and cooking skills training.
      “I feel much more confident about being
      able to provide healthier food for my family”
This comment, from a young Ashington mum, at the end of one of our ‘Big Cooks & little cooks’ courses, sums up what we, as an organisation, are all about.

More . . . .

In an environment where the temptations to fill up on fatty, salty and sugar filled foods are all too readily available, we aim to provide the knowledge and practical skills that people need to be able to navigate through the minefield of fast food and ready meals and to eat-well whatever their budget.
We believe that good food doesn’t need to be complicated, costly or boring and our basic principle is to keep things simple by avoiding anything that’s too expensive or difficult to get your hands on, and by providing recipes with a manageable number of steps and ingredients. Guided by these principles, we can show individuals how to cook up a hearty soup from scratch in 10 minutes, a tasty pasta sauce in 10 minutes or a nourishing butternut squash risotto in only 20 minutes.

We are passionate about good food and equally determined that everyone should have access to it! We work with a wide range of groups and organisations across the community, delivering accessible and inspiring good food experiences. Our approach, which is rooted in the conviction that everyone can cook, is aimed at supporting people to make positive changes to the food that they eat and at the same time, putting the pleasure back into eating well.

We passionately believe that food provides us with more than the sum of its nutrients and that it impacts on our wellbeing in three ways:

  • Body – The food we eat has the ability to protect us from disease and provides our body with the essential ingredients for energy and growth.
  • Mind – It also impacts on our mental health by affecting our body's chemistry. For example, eating whole grains pools and increases the level of serotonin in the brain, (like the drug Prozac), resulting in a feeling of well being and increasing our ability to handle stress.
  • Spirit – Food affects our attitude to life in many ways; it is a central feature in all of our cultural celebrations, the process of preparing food can be a rewarding and creatively satisfying experience, food is an area of permissible sensuality, of physical delights in which everyone can participate and the act of sharing food is a fundamental ingredient in all human relationships.

Development of RFW

  • November 2004 - Started operating as a community project: 'Wansbeck Real Food'
  • April 2005 - First 'Food Co-ops' open for business
  • June 2006 - What’s Cooking! Our outreach cooking skills initiative launched
  • June 2007 - 'First Good Food Coach' recruited
  • July 2008 - Real Food Works Social Enterprise incorporated
  • October 2009 – Over 800  smoothie tasters delivered at Wallington Food & Craft fair!
  • December 2009 - delivered our 600th session!
  • Jan 2010 - New website launched
  • July 2011 - Top Tots Nursery Ashington delivered our 900th session!
  • Feb 2012 - Delivered our 1000th session with Northumbria Fire Service
  • Mar 2012 - Moved premises to Newbiggin by the Sea
  • Feb 2013 - Moved premises to Newcastle upon Tyne

David Malone

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My background as an engineer may not seem the obvious candidate for running a food enterprise, but after running a very successful business in the commercial sector, I then transferred these skills to manage a children’s charity and social enterprise for twelve years, before setting up Real Food Works.
I love good food and want everyone to have the opportunity to enjoy it too.

Wendy Marlowe

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My background is in catering including schools, care homes, cafe's and running a mental health social enterprise delivering catering training. 
I am driven by a desire to empower everyone to enjoy the pleasures and health benefits of good food.
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