Open Kitchens Teacher

Asmahan Alatrash

My name is Asmahan, I am from Syria, and worked as a Doctor for 19 years in Syria, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. I have 6 children. I first moved to Turkey from Syria. Then I came in the UK 5 years ago. When I arrived in Manchester, I started doing English courses to learn English language, I achieved level 1 certificate. Also, I was a volunteer at Greenheys to support E.S.O.L one learning English as an assistant teacher. Cooking is one of my favourite activity because it is a way for me to reduce stress and I can be artistic about it and it never gets repetitive. As always, I wanted to learn English and practise it in an entertaining and enjoyable way, as it gives me the opportunity to learn about other traditional food and meet new friends.

Later on, I heard about ‘Heart and Parcel’ course and so loved the idea of it. As it involves cooking and learning English together at the same time. I first started this course by meeting people face to face but then we began to take online lessons with Clare and that was due to the pandemic , which I found a pleasure to do.

SEE ONE OF ASMAHAN’S COOKALONG LIVESTREAMS HERE

Open Kitchens Teacher

Rasha Mafrachi

My name is Rasha. I am originally from Iraq. I am married and have two children. I have a masters in Geography and used to work as a university teacher in Iraq. Currently, I work as an Arabic teacher with experience face to face teaching as well as online learning. Cooking for me is art, since and passion, it makes me happy learn new cooking techniques and discovering new ingredients from across the world. I am happy to take part in the Heart and Parcel because it helps me to meet new friends and share food that I like with people. It is also a great opportunity to challenge myself to learn something new about cooking and kitchen tools in English.

SEE ONE OF RASHA’S COOKALONG LIVESTREAMS HERE

Open Kitchens Teacher 

Paramita Raha

I am Paramita Raha. I am from Bangladesh and have been living in the U.K for the last one and a half years. I have been learning English, Maths and also teaching myself to Code. I was also working, at Domino’s Pizza, before the lockdown. Now I am working in Food Production.

I am a food enthusiast and love working with people from different backgrounds. I also love to learn about various cultures and cuisines. I participated in many extracurriculam activities: such as the Cultural exchange programme; Manchester Day to represent Bengali community; Open Kitchen project and volunteered for a local charity.

Heart & Parcel has provided me this opportunity through which I have been able to meet plenty of people, make some new friends; in addition, this has also given me the experience to work with the team.

SEE ONE OF PARAMITA’S COOKALONG LIVESTREAMS

Open Kitchens Teacher

NAJLAA MAHMOUD

Hello, I’m Najlaa Mahmoud, I’m from Libya. I have lived in this city for about 4 years. I have been studying English and maths at Bury Adult Learning Center. During the pandemic, I was cooking a lot, and I have learned so many dishes and sweets. I also love to learn about new cuisines, which I believe can’t do it before.

The relationship between me and cooking is a pleasure, it’s not just for fuel, food means everything to me. I’m in love with the food. Everyone has a technique to cook for their dish so I believe that. And I’m also extremely excited to share with you about our traditional food in Libya. I wish that one day, I will become the best chef and everyone know who I am?

SEE ONE OF NAJLAA’S COOKALONG LIVESTREAMS HERE

Open Kitchens Teacher

GASHIN ADULLAH

My name is Gashin Adullah I am from Iraqi Kurdistan, I have 2 children both boys, I have been in the UK for 15 years, I have lived in bury for 6 years. Before i used to live in Old Trafford,Manchester. I like cooking and baking very much, I like making cultrual food, and would very much like to explore foods from different countries. I was also at Bury Adult Learning Centre for 3 years.

SEE ONE OF GASHIN’S COOKALONG LIVESTREAMS HERE

FOOD FOR THOUGHT LEARNER BLOG coordinator

ALEX HOLLOWAY

Hi, my name is Alex (she/her) and I live near Wetherby in West Yorkshire. I love teaching and I’m passionate about making sure language learning is empowering and fulfilling for everyone. So, being involved in Heart and Parcel’s Food for Thought project is like a dream come true! I currently work at the University of Leeds in the Language Centre where I teach English and academic skills. I am also Chair of NATESOL (a teacher development association). In my free time, I enjoy walking my dog, reading historical fiction or watching rubbish TV. 

READ FOOD FOR THOUGHT LEARNER BLOG HERE

FOOD FOR THOUGHT LEARNER BLOG SUPPORT TEAM

HALA BOTROS

Hello! My name is Hala. I’m an English tutor and a writing consultant based in Kuwait. I joined Heart & Parcel in March 2021 to fulfill a placement requirement for my master’s degree at King’s College London. The moment I joined Clare in her weekly English cooking lessons, I fell in love with Heart & Parcel’s mission and the wonderful learners! Although I’m yet to visit Manchester, I get to ‘Zoom-in’ with all the learners, bloggers, and talented chefs of H&P from thousands of miles away! I am now delighted to be part of the ‘Food for Thought’ team, helping writers express themselves through our blog by offering technical writing workshops and English language lessons.

READ FOOD FOR THOUGHT LEARNER BLOG HERE