A design student from Edinburgh has been inspired to create a cookbook for her community.
Elle Slow-Clayton, 19, from Bingham launched ‘’The Community Cookbook’’, which is available for free to members of the Bingham, Magdalene, and Hays neighbourhoods.
Just before the launch of this project, we had the chance for a one-on-one interview with artist and primary creator Elle Slow-Clayton. In our interview with Elle, we learned more about her background and vision for the cookbook, about those who contributed to and funded the project, and about how this cookbook is intended to benefit the community. Read on to discover more about how the ’’The Community Cookbook’’ came to be.
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About the Artist
Elle Slow-Clayton is a nineteen-year-old design student from Bingham, Edinburgh. Elle has said that she's “enjoyed drawing since she was young” and appreciates that art is a career in which change is constant. And she seems to carry this love of change into her vision for the community.
A few months ago, Elle that she “was studying art and design…and wanted to channel [her] energies into something.” This is when Erin from Community Renewal knocked on her door and gave her the chance to use her background and creative energy to create a cookbook for her local community.
The Community's Contributions
Elle had a vision for the book and set to design it in a particular way. She began the cookbook in August 2022 and it is now set to launch as a complete work of forty pages containing seventy recipes from breakfasts to snacks and family dinners. The book is now officially titled “The Community Cookbook.” And its title alludes to the fact that it was made BY and FOR the Bingham, Magdalene, and Hays communities.
Elle initially stated, “I have lived round here my whole life and I know and love this community so much. People ‘round here are so friendly, but some are isolated and there are families who are struggling right now. So, I wanted to create something that was fun, accessible and affordable, and that led me to the cookbook idea.”
Describing the area, Elle said that “everyone kind of knows everyone and there's always been that sense of community no matter what.” So, Elle specifically collected recipes for the book from people across the Bingham, Magdalene, and Hays neighbourhoods.
And she explains that the cookbook is “just for the community we’re in and not for everyone. And we wanted everyone to see that it was from the community they’re part of.” Every recipe in the cookbook was provided by someone in the area. So locals contributed their own recipes, making the project completely community-based.
Accompanying each special recipe is an illustration drawn by Elle herself. In her vision for the book, Elle hoped to make the recipes accessible for all people in the community regardless of age or cooking ability, so she made the illustrations as simple as possible. She explained that her main source of inspiration came from taking a child's perspective and making sure that everything in the recipe was included in the plate illustration.
Partners in Production
In addition to relying on community contributions, Elle received funding and support for the book from groups such as Community Renewal, the City of Edinburgh Council, and Places for People.
Community Renewal: Lifting Neighborhoods Together is an anti-poverty charity that works “to bring residents and people who work with and for the community together to improve the quality of life for everyone,” according to member Erin Smith. And Smith has said that the organization was keen to support this particular community-driven project because Elle’s “enthusiasm, talent, and love for the area was obvious” and insists that they “are proud to have empowered her to realise her vision for the area.”
Additionally, the City of Edinburgh Council is said to have helped fund this project and a few councillors issued statements of support at the recent launch.
Cllr Jane Meagher praised the project by saying that “It’s wonderful that someone so young is doing something so positive for her local community. I am delighted to support her in any way I can.”
And Cllr Kate Campbell SNP added that “During these extremely challenging times, to see a project created by the community, for the community is truly inspirational. I hope to be trying out a few recipes myself.”
More Than a Cookbook
As the cost of living crisis continues, many families and individuals–young and old–have to save money where they can. The cost of groceries is growing, energy prices are escalating, and the costs of cooking seem harder and harder to overcome. Community support is more vital than ever during this time, and ‘’The Community Cookbook’’ helps provide such support.
The cookbook is free to anyone from the Bingham, Hays, or Magdalene neighbourhoods, given that they sign up for the Hays Pantry. Then, the pantry provides affordable or free ingredients that one can use to make almost every recipe in the book.
Finally, when I asked Elle what she thought would come of the project, she said that she hoped the book would make people cook more for themselves and bring them joy. Plus, she particularly wanted to help the elderly people in her community feel more self-sufficient and taken care of.
In her final statement, Elle emphasised that “this cookbook has shown me that no matter where you are in your life something could happen that can change your life for the good.” Help could be right around the corner, and she doesn’t want anyone to give up hope. This cookbook is more than a few recipes because it represents an entire community coming together to support one another through hard times!
If you’d like to learn more about the cookbook or Community Renewal: Lifting Neighbourhoods Together, take a look at www.liftingneighbourhoods.org.uk . And note that the group is strongly supported by the Edinburgh Poverty Commission.
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