Making progress, plus an easy chicken dinner
By Kim with help from Medina
The chats that happen at ESOL Conversation Cafe are often so organic that I forget that I’m here supporting women to flex their English language speaking and listening muscles rather than just catching up with old friends. This is especially true when you’re sat with regulars who you feel you’ve known for ages. However, this morning was bustling, and there were quite a few newcomers attending for their very first time. Whether they’ve been referred by the job centre or they’re being introduced by a mutual friend, they are welcomed warmly with a hot drink and biscuits. It was fascinating to meet new folk from countries as far apart as Yemen and Bolivia, and hear about their hugely varying backgrounds, in areas like IT, academia, sustainability and homemaking.
Towards the end of every Friday morning session, some of our old pals who are now attending regular ESOL classes at college come in for some lunch and a catch-up. It’s always lovely to see them, but the number of new starts this morning really made me reflect on how far some of these women have progressed. Medina started coming to MILK around the same time I did, coming up for 3 years ago. It has been amazing to witness her confidence grow with her English language proficiency, and to get to see more of her personality shine through, her intelligence and her wicked sense of humour. I ask her for help on today’s blogpost. She has contributed before: pictures of her delicious baking and a marvellous pickle recipe which I still make from time to time. This time it’s a very loose chicken and vegetable tray bake recipe that seems like a quick and easy midweek family dinner. When I try this out I’m going to get the oven preheated to 200 degrees (180 fan) while preparing the ingredients.
1 chicken
Potatoes
Celery
Garlic
Chillies
1 onion
1 tin of tomatoes
[Splash of] oil
You chop the chicken into 6 pieces. After that you add the [chopped] potatoes, celery and tinned tomatoes. And the oil, [some salt,] garlic and onion, small. Sometimes I put green pepper and courgette. Put in oven, maybe 25 minutes. I eat with naan bread. Sometimes I make, sometimes I buy from Kurdish Kobane on Victoria Road.