Powys Sense Ltd was set up in January 2007 as a company limited by guarantee with a voluntary governing body to provide support for individuals disadvantaged in the job market and recuperative activities for individuals with disabilities against a backdrop of working in a healthy rural environment.
Its main activity ‘Working Farms’ has for the last 18 months provided over 500 placements for 60 individuals on 20 farms, as well as running mentoring and social enterprise courses, providing a benefit blog and producing access to work leaflets.
 
1.  Horticultural projects: Cultivate plots of land to grow vegetables, raise chickens, encourage healthy eating, provide recuperative placements and training, and develop employment opportunities via sales and community gardening. It is envisaged that the horticultural site would offer Healthy Outdoor Work, encourage Healthy Eating, provide a range of Open College Network Training Courses, result in Sales at farmers markets, provide Small Animal Care and provide regular Work & Placements.
 
2. Cooking:
Building on the cooking courses we intend to run ‘Healthy Food Days’ at drop in centres,  where we will provide cooking skills, menu planning, simple recipes that can be used at home and take donations for serving the food to the centre users. In association with the horticultural sites and local suppliers we will cover areas such as pickling, freezing and recycling jam jars.

Recipe of the Week

Vegetable and Lentil Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion
• 2 celery sticks (optional)
• 852ml/ 1 and a half pints of chicken or vegetable stock
• 227g/8oz carrots
• 227g/8oz potatoes
• 227g/8oz parsnips
• 227g/8oz Swede
• 1 large leek (optional)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• black pepper
• 113g/4oz red lentils
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped coriander (optional)

1. Peel onion and slice thinly

2. Trim and slice the celery. Place in a large saucepan with 142ml/ a quarter pint of stock.

3. Peel and slice the carrots. Peel the potatoes, parsnips and swede and cut into chunks. Trim and slice the leek lengthwise (optional) and rinse under running water. Shake well and slice thinly.

4. Stir the vegetables into the saucepan along with the remaining stock. spices plebty of seasoning and the lentils.

5. Bring to the boil, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

6. Serve the casserole sprinkled with chopped coriander (optional) and green vegetables.

(Recipe taken from Brecon and District contact Associations winter newsletter.)

Whats in Season?

• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Leeks
• Onions
• parsnips
• Potatoes
• Swede