Bradford’s Ministry of Food project, which will teach people how to cook nutritious meals on a budget, is to open at the end of this month.

Manager Soraya Overend will welcome the first people to the centre, which is led by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, on Monday, November 30.

A store at John Street, near the Oastler Shopping Centre, will be the second Ministry of Food, following a successful start in Rotherham.

The training and demonstration kitchen has been fitted out and classes will be held to help people learn how to cook fresh food from scratch and eat a balanced diet.

There will be demonstrations as well as longer courses that last for ten weeks. The centre was set up following Mr Oliver’s visit to Bradford for his TV series in which a group of people learned to cook and passed on their skills to others.

Bradford Council is working with Bradford College and the Bradford and Airedale PCT to develop the project.

Mrs Overend, who has worked for the Council for five years as a catering manager, said: “I think a lot of people will benefit from this Ministry of Food centre – it could change people’s lives.

“I hope it will give them the confidence and the ability to cook and to learn how to be more health conscious in a fun, no pressure environment.

“My aims are that the project should enable people on low incomes to improve their life skills. I want them to be able to cook simple, nutritious meals, to budget and plan for balanced diets and help them understand how they can improve their general health and well-being.”

Classes at the centre will cover basic egg dishes, soups, salmon tikka, risottos, chicken chow mein, vegetable jalfrezi, chilli, meatballs, vegetable pasta, cakes and scones or muffins and flapjack.

Ingredients will be provided and members will be taught how to follow recipes and produce fresh food.

Anyone interested in joining one of the ten-week courses for an hour a week should call (01274) 435279.