Former homeless people who are now rebuilding their lives have been given cooking lessons in High Wycombe from a former professional chef as part of a new community initiative.

Social entrepreneur Michael Brown has been recruited to run a series of cookery projects to ‘reach out to the community and make a difference’ in a project organised by Buckinghamshire County Council.

Michael, 47, who is also a qualified teacher from High Wycombe, had identified several different groups in the area that could benefit from learning a bit of culinary know-how.

On Monday, it was the turn of the Wycombe Homeless Connection charity, which helps around 400 people every year who are homeless or who are at risk of eviction.

Michael, who is the founder of a social enterprise company called Empower to Cook CIC, set up a kitchen at Oakley Hall in Castle Street.

Eight people, who were formerly homeless, enjoyed a two-hour session, being shown how to make several affordable dishes with a pack of mince, such as bolognaise sauce and meatloaf.

The class included Louise Coupland, 38, from the Old Tea Warehouse hostel in High Wycombe.

Louise, who lived on the streets of the town for about two months last summer after becoming homeless, said she was delighted by Michael’s cookery tips and believes they will come in useful in her daily life.

"This is good and I have enjoyed learning different things," she said. "We live on budgets and sometimes we have to rely on the One Can Trust, a local charity, for food parcels. We have to make do with what we can afford."

Michael was equally pleased with the success of the class, saying: "It’s what I wanted to achieve."

Sheena Dykes, chair of trustees of Wycombe Homeless Connection, said: "After we get people off the street in our Wycombe Winter Night Shelter and help them to find accommodation, our 'Inspire' programme aims to help them look after themselves. With us, every penny donated has to go a long way, and the Council’s funding of these vital sessions is a great help."

In all, Michael was given £2,000 by the Council’s High Wycombe Local Area Forum to run sessions with four groups.

He said: "Once you engage with food and understand it, the healthy eating comes. I make sure that I tap into local and seasonal ingredients, where possible, and show people good food isn’t difficult or expensive to make."

The initiative kicked off in Castlefield Community Centre in December when Michael ran workshops with eight Asian men who previously had little experience of cooking.

Another workshop was held this week at Wycombe Mind, a mental health charity. In March, Michael will take his culinary skills to Hatters Lane where he will hold sessions for the East Side Youth Club.

Valerie Letheren, Chairman of the County Council’s High Wycombe LAF, said: "One of our key priorities was to improve the health and well-being of residents. We wanted to reach out into the community and make a difference.

"We asked Michael to find four groups of people to work with and he went out and he came back incredibly quickly. We are delighted with the results of his work."