Thanks to the hard work of our gardeners, we grow an incredible range of nutritious produce in our Kitchen Garden. But few people in the Borough are in the position to grow their own fruit and veg.

This summer we’ve been collaborating with HAAYA, a Hounslow-based youth charity on a ‘Farm to Fork’ project in the Kitchen Garden at Chiswick House with outdoor learning practitioners Cultivate London. We chatted with Salma Yousef, Mother and Child Group Lead at HAAYA about the project.

Tell us a little bit HAAYA 

HAAYA is a Voluntary and Community Sector Organisation (VCSO) established in 2002. We offer a wide range of educational, training, support, health and sporting initiatives tailored to the needs of the Hounslow community.  

Tell us about your project with us? 

We read about  Growing Together at Chiswick House (our community engagement programme funded by The Linbury Trust)  in the Ealing & Hounslow Voluntary Service newsletter and felt it aligned perfectly with our health and wellbeing objective which has four strands: getting active, back to nature, culture and community.  

 We helped to co-designfour two-hour sessions in partnership with Cultivate London and Chiswick House, for our Hounslow-based Muslim mothers and their children from HAAYA, helping to connect them with the outdoors, learn more about their food and appreciate the journey from the seed to the plate.  

 During these sessions we looked at what was growing in the Kitchen Garden and picked some of those ingredients to cook with. I renamed it ‘Junior Masterchef’ as the children were so excited about getting involved in the preparation of the food! By the end of the four sessions, we had made fresh salads, fritters, chutney and even a dessert.  

I was looking for a while to get inspired. I finally got it at Chiswick House. I learnt how to cook a chutney! Thank you.

How is the HAAYA project with Chiswick House & Gardens benefiting the local community?  

Getting people outdoors is so important for mental health which is a huge challenge locally. Being a new mother can often be quite isolating and this project has really allowed the group to connect with each other, and for them and their children to reconnect with the beautiful earth which is so central to our faith.  

 It really gave me and my son a passion for growing our own and being more involved in the kitchen and where our food is from. These types of sessions are vital for children’s awareness and understanding of the world and environment.

Why is ‘farm to fork’ so important?  

I feel passionately about the mantra of ‘you are what you eat’. Our children are our future, and we have to think carefully about what they are consuming – be it food or other stimuli.  

At HAAYA we talk about providing a ‘tayyab’ environment. Tayyab refers to how and what we consume, encompassing not only bodily and biological satisfaction, but also the physiological and spiritual side. It considers the journey of our ingredients and how healthy and wholesome they are. This project encouraged the group to appreciate healthy ingredients growing locally, learning about their benefits and how to cook with them. The children were really enthused about putting those skills into practice when they returned home.  

Such a great experience! Everything we have done here and learnt is priceless!! It has given us all such an appreciation for fresh foods, plants and gardens. I have noticed my son stopping to really look closely at different plants and trees, while we are out and about, he asks so many questions and shows very good understanding of basic plant knowledge and how they grow. This has made him more involved in our own gardening which I am thrilled about.

What was your highlight from this project? 

As well as observing how quick and easy it is to prepare a healthy meal, I loved seeing the group and exchanging knowledge on the benefits of ingredients. I learnt that nigella seeds, which we picked in the Kitchen Garden, are cited in the prophetic tradition as having amazing healing properties. Also with honey, which is spoken about in the Quran for its benefits. 

What are your plans for future projects?  

The Chiswick House & Gardens staff made us feel so welcome and we hope to keep the group connected with the site. We want to do more for the mothers and are looking at running creative workshops possibly combining glass painting, Arabic calligraphy and drawing inspiration from Chiswick House.   

Find out more about HAAYA. 

You can purchase fresh produce from the Kitchen Garden Cart on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 11am-1pm outside the Shop. 10% discount for Members. 

Become a Member for just £1 a week and help support vital community projects like this. 

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