Middlesbrough care home resident’s recipe in national book

Lyn Woodwork, 80, who lives at Nunthorpe Oaks Residential Care Home in Middlesbrough, is featured in A Lifetime of Flavours: A Celebration of Food, Family and the Lives Behind Beloved Recipes, a compilation curated by Sanctuary Care.

The not-for-profit care provider manages 109 homes across the UK, including Nunthorpe Oaks.

Middlesbrough care home resident Lyn Woodwork at work (Image: Supplied)

The cookbook showcases 42 cherished recipes from residents aged 70 to 105, highlighting the connection between food, memory, and wellbeing.

Ms Woodwork said: “I have been told from many people how much they love them.

“I would constantly bake them for my neighbours and for street parties.”

Middlesbrough care home resident Lyn Woodwork as a young girl (Image: Supplied)

A lifelong baker, she fondly remembers making the cheese scones with her mother during childhood and continues to bake them for fellow residents at the care home.

The cookbook is part of Sanctuary Care’s Enriching Lives Framework, which focuses on helping residents maintain identity, purpose, and joy in later life.

It particularly celebrates ‘continuity,’ one of the framework’s six senses, by showing how residents can keep lifelong traditions—like cooking—alive after moving into care.

Middlesbrough care home resident Lyn Woodwork’s cheese scone recipe features in Sanctuary Care’s national cookbook, supporting Mental Health UK. (Image: Supplied)

Louise Palmer, director of operations at Sanctuary Care, said: “Moving into a care home isn’t about leaving your old life behind, but continuing the things that bring you joy.

“Whether it’s recreating a childhood recipe or baking with friends, our chefs work closely with residents to make every mealtime meaningful, and A Lifetime of Flavours is a celebration of that love of food, family, and the lives behind it.”

Mealtimes play a central role in this approach, offering structure, sensory stimulation, creativity, independence, and connection.

Nutrition is also essential, supporting residents’ activity levels, alertness, and overall wellbeing.

The cookbook is available as a free download or can be ordered in print, with all proceeds supporting Mental Health UK.

It features a foreword by 2023 Great British Bake Off winner Matty Edgell, who reflects on how food helped shape his own family memories.

Ms Woodwork’s featured recipe, Lyn’s Cheese Scones, requires 225g of self-raising flour, a pinch each of salt and curry powder, 25g each of grated carrot, finely sliced spring onion, and mature cheddar, 55g of butter, and 150ml of milk.

To make the scones, preheat the oven to 200C, lightly grease a baking sheet, and mix the flour, salt, and curry powder before rubbing in the butter to form breadcrumbs.

Add the cheese, carrot, spring onion, and milk to create a soft dough.

Knead lightly on a floured surface, roll to a 2cm thickness, and cut out rounds using a 5cm cutter.

Place the scones on the baking sheet, brush with milk, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden and risen.

The cookbook, A Lifetime of Flavours: Celebrating Food, Family and the Lives Behind Beloved Recipes, can be ordered with a donation to Mental Health UK via Sanctuary Care’s website at www.sanctuary-care.co.uk.