Let the prisoners cook

After Hashem Abedi allegedly attacked three prison officers with hot cooking oil at HMP Frankland last weekend, there has been a crackdown on inmates using kitchens. Self-catering facilities have been suspended in separation facilities like the one that housed Abedi, the convicted terrorist who helped his brother plan the Manchester Arena bombing. This is a sensible approach, but this horrific incident cannot be allowed to overshadow the important work done in food education in prisons.

I’ve been working for prison food charity Food Behind Bars (FBB) for nearly four years, teaching in men and women’s prisons across the UK. Throughout my time there, I have come to understand that cooking is an aid to prisoners who are down the long road towards rehabilitation and release.

I recently finished teaching a cooking course with FBB in HMP Downview, a women’s prison in Sutton, Surrey.