Some treasured family recipes passed down through a family of farmers now form part of an activity programme at a Perthshire specialist care facility.

Anne Foulds, Activity Coordinator at ASC, which supports adults with perceived challenging behaviour, has been sharing her beloved family recipes for jam, lemon curd and oatcakes.

It began after service users at the facility in Balbeggie, Perthshire, went on a raspberry picking trip and, with Anne’s coaching, turned the berries into jam back in their communal kitchen.

Seeing how much they loved it, Anne taught them how to make lemon curd. She has also shared her old family recipe for oatcakes.

Says Anne (pictured with some of the service users): “I have no idea how long the jam recipe has been in my family , but I am 53 and for as long as I can remember this is the recipe my dad used and I used to always be there watching . We would go as a family to pick the berries from a local farm.

Anne was the first in her family to make lemon curd, so that recipe began with her. She grew up on a farm, which is where her love of cooking and baking, and using locally sourced products, came from. “We never ate a microwave meal or anything processed. My mum baked every day and taught me how to bake. There was always someone visiting us and during busy farming days she never knew how many hungry mouths she would have to feed , so there was usually a pan of soup on the stove.

“I had the best childhood living on a farm and getting fresh food. I have really enjoyed sharing my recipes and my knowledge with the service users and they have enjoyed it too. In their words, ‘This makes us happy’.”

Next on Anne’s home cooking list is to try their hand a butter. “It might be a challenge but I’m willing to give it a go!” she said.