The All About Food Telelink group was given a special treat last month when Maggie Beer, one of the best known figures from the Australian food and restaurant industry, joined in on their session.
Mrs Beer, whose career has seen her launch her own gourmet food line, publish numerous cookbooks and appear on hit TV shows such as MasterChef and The Cook and the Chef, was an active participant in the session as she shared her outlook on food and answered questions from the group’s members.
Mrs Beer gave the group an insight into the work being done by the Maggie Beer Foundation to improve conditions in Australia’s aged care sector. Mrs Beer and her foundation, founded in 2014, are aiming to increase the quality of life for residents in aged care facilities by ensuring they are provided with food that is both nutritious and full of flavour.
In a similar vein, Mrs Beer provided the group with some handy tips about how to people can make meat and other food easier to eat for elderly people which were gratefully received.
Mrs Beer also provided some advice about whether frozen vegetables are better and healthier than fresh ones. That also spurred a discussion about food providence and how you can find out where your food comes from.
The group also discussed cookbooks and how they wished more could be provided in accessible formats to help people from the blind and low vision community to enjoy and participate in cooking.
Vision Australia’s Telelink groups are an important social and support outlet for people who are blind or have low vision. You can hear firsthand from Telelink members Beth and Sedonia about what their groups mean to them.
More information on the Telelink program can be found here or call Vision Australia on 1300 847 466 or email [email protected].