A group of doctors learnt about creating healthy meals at a workshop run by Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food.

GPs from Newham were joined by members of the board of NHS Newham Clinical Commissioning Group at East Ham Leisure Centre where they cooked a variety of healthy meals under the watchful eyes of Ministry of Food chef Carlos Montes.

They sampled spices and learnt and crafty kitchen techniques while hearing the message that cooking healthy food at home is simple and easy to do as well as being better for you.

Dr Hardip Nandra, a member of Newham CCG board and a Plaistow GP, created a tasty chicken fajita with handmade salsa and guacamole in under twenty minutes.

He said: “I found cooking today simple, easy and fun but best of all it was healthy. Healthy eating is key to living a long healthy life. When you cook for yourself and your family you can use fresh ingredients and know what is going into the food you are eating. You should eat at least five pieces of fruit or servings of vegetables a day and cut down on using salt, sugar and fats like butter, cooking oil and ghee.”

Others who attended included Wayne Farah, a non executive lay member for patient engagement, Dr Ambadi Gopinathan and

Hazel Trotter, practice manager representative.

Carlos Montes, said: “The GPs were keen to test their cooking skills and learn how Ministry of Food hands-on cooking lessons can help their patients change their eating habits for the better. This is very important in Newham as obesity and diabetes is very high.”

If you are interested in holding a similar workshop, go to www.jamieoliver.com/jamies-ministry-of-food/stratford.php