Fundraising activities don’t come much more fun than cooking. Here are some great ideas and recipes to get you and your colleagues started fundraising with food!
Bake sale
Cake stalls and bake sales don’t take much organisation and are always a popular fundraising activity. Once you’ve agreed the date you can get your colleagues to contribute cakes to the sale – and if you fancy some friendly competition, why not hold a tasting and crown a star baker?
We have put together a simple bake sale guide and bake sale posters (.doc or pdf) to make the process as easy as possible for you!
Check out Zainab’s story to find out more about how she fundraised through using her baking skills.
A few famous names have kindly provided the RMBF with some recipe suggestions to help inspire you – see below!
Healthy lunches
Instead of spending a fortune on food from shops and restaurants at lunchtime, why not bring a packed lunch all week and donate the money you would have spent to the RMBF? It’s healthier too!
We’ve put together a few ideas for easy meals you can take to work with you, kindly provided by some of our supporters.
Recipes
Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed
Masterchef
@salihacooks
Harissa Smoked Mackerel, Chick Pea & Herb Couscous, Harissa Yoghurt Dip
This dish can be prepared in a matter of minutes: I often make it in the morning, particularly before a busy on call shift when I know that I need a good meal to keep me going.
Cans of chick peas are inexpensive and can quite easily be substituted for any tinned legume of your choice. Additionally, the use of smoked fish makes this dish cost effective, easily accessible and a good source of protein.
Serves 4/4 portions
- 1 can of chick peas
- 1 large mug full of couscous
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 1 large mug full of boiling hot water
- 1 bunch mint leaves
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 fillets of smoked mackerel
- Harissa paste
- ½ tub of Greek yoghurt
- Olive oil
- Drain the chick peas from the can and pour into a bowl. Add in the mug full of couscous to the chickpeas and mix thoroughly. Dissolve the stock cube into the boiling water and pour immediately onto the couscous. Cover the bowl with cling film. Allow to sit on the side for 10 minutes so that the couscous can absorb the moisture and swell.
- Remove the cling film from the bowl of couscous and chickpeas and use a fork to fluff up the grains. Finely chop the mint and flat leaf parsley and mix into the chick pea/couscous mixture. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and healthy drizzle of olive oil.
- Smear a small amount of Harissa paste onto the mackerel and pan fry each side for a few minutes. Mix the yoghurt with a tablespoon of Harissa paste. Serve the herby chick pea couscous on the bottom, followed by the flaked pieces of Harissa mackerel and a big dollop of the spiced Greek yoghurt to accompany.
Hazel Wallace
The Food Medic
@thefoodmedic
Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread
Banana bread is the perfect (and tastiest) solution for using up over-ripe bananas. Unlike traditional banana bread recipes that call for refined white flour and white sugar, this recipe is made with coconut flour and is naturally sweetened with honey. I’ve also swapped the margarine for coconut oil which is full of healthy fats.
You could make this banana bread even healthier by omitting the chocolate – but this I wouldn’t recommend, because a little bit of chocolate is good for the soul.
Makes 10-12 slices
- 120g coconut flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 6 free-range eggs
- 80g honey
- 75g coconut oil, melted and cooled, plus extra to grease
- 120ml almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- 75g 85 per cent dark chocolate,
- chopped
- ½ banana to top
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Prepare a large loaf pan (silicone works best) by greasing the sides with a little coconut oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the coconut flour, cinnamon, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. In another large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the honey, coconut oil, almond milk and vanilla extract to the eggs, and whisk very well to combine.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients, and whisk very well until combined. Mix in the mashed banana.
- Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave for 60–90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds. Fold the dark chocolate into the banana bread mixture very gently without over-mixing so the 2 mixtures form a marbled effect.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and add the sliced banana on top. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, then cover with a sheet of tinfoil and bake for another 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. The cake will be quite moist in texture but should not be wet.
- Cool in the pan for about 20 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack for about an hour, before slicing.
PS… You can store the bread in the fridge for 3-5 days, or in the freezer in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
Goat’s Cheese & Minted Greens Frittata
This recipe is good for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. I like to make it in advance and pop it in a lunchbox to take to work with me. If goat’s cheese isn’t your cup of tea, cheeses like feta and mozzarella also work well. Don’t be afraid to add in any extra veggies that are sitting in the fridge.
Serves 4
- 150g frozen peas
- 8 free-range eggs
- 75ml almond milk
- 1 large courgette (approx 200g), grated
- Handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 80g goat’s cheese
- Salt and black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
- Boil the peas for 5 minutes in a saucepan of water. Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and the milk together. Stir in the courgette, peas and mint, and season with salt and pepper.
- Place a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and add the coconut oil. Pour in the egg mix and gently cook for 8–10 minutes until the base and sides are cooked.
- Slice the goat’s cheese into 4 even circles and place on the top of the frittata. Crumble any remaining goat’s cheese on top.
- Place the pan in the oven for 10–15 minutes until the top is golden and the cheese is bubbling.
Debbie Major
Delicious Magazine
@debbieamajor
Raspberry and almond crumble bars
Makes 12 bars
- 225g plain flour
- 100g semolina
- 100g caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp
- 225g chilled butter, cut into small pieces
- 50g chopped blanched almonds
- 225g raspberry jam
- 200g fresh raspberries
- Icing sugar, for dusting
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas mark 3. Put the plain flour, semolina and sugar into the bowl of a food processor, add the butter and process briefly until the mixture just begins to show signs of sticking together. Tip half the mixture into a well buttered 20 x 25 cm shallow rectangular tin or brownie pan and press firmly over the base in an even layer using the back of a metal spoon.
- Spread over the jam and then scatter over the fresh raspberries.
- Stir the almonds and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar into the remaining ‘crumble’ mixture. Sprinkle it over the top of the raspberries in an even layer.
- Bake for 40 minutes until a pale golden brown. Remove the tin from the oven and leave for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Run a knife around the edge of the tin, then cut into 12 bars. Dust with some icing sugar and leave to cool for another 5 minutes. You can now either serve these warm with some custard as a dessert or carefully lift them onto a cooling rack and leave them to go cold, to serve with a cup of coffee or tea.
Marmalade, coconut and raisin tray bake
Makes 16 slices
For the base:
- 225g butter, at room temperature
- 75g sifted icing sugar
- 225g plain flour
- 50g cornflour
- Pinch salt
- 200g Seville orange marmalade
For the topping:
- 200g butter, at room temperature
- 225g caster sugar
- Finely grated zest 1 large orange
- 2 large, free-range eggs, lightly beaten
- 75g ground almonds
- 125g ground rice
- 100g desiccated coconut
- 100g raisins
- 50g chopped mixed peel
- Preheat the oven to 180C/fan160C/Gas mark 4. For the base, cream the butter and icing sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Sift over the plain flour, cornflour and salt and stir into the creamed mixture to make a soft, shortbread-like dough. Press the mixture with lightly floured fingertips in a thin even layer over the base of a greased 20x30cm, 5cm deep loose-bottomed brownie tin. (However, if you find it easier to roll the mixture out on a lightly floured surface almost to the size of the tin, lower into the tin and then press out to the edges, then do this if you prefer). Prick here and there with a fork and bake for 16-18 minutes until a pale biscuit colour. Remove and leave to cool, then carefully spread with the marmalade to within 1cm of the edges. Re-grease the sides of the tin with a little more butter.
- For the topping, beat the butter and sugar together for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy, then beat in the orange zest, followed by the beaten egg. Fold in the ground almonds and ground rice, followed by the desiccated coconut, raisins and chopped mixed peel. Dot the mixture over the marmalade and spread it out carefully to the edges of the tin. Bake for 40 minutes until a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Run a knife around the edges of the bake to release it from the tin then carefully remove the sides. Cut it lengthways in half, then across into thin bars. They will keep in an airtight tin for several days.
Header image from THE FOOD MEDIC by Dr Hazel Wallace. Hodder & Stoughton 2017. Photography by Susan Bell 2016 © Hodder & Stoughton. Used with permission