The Rhyl community came together on Tuesday to celebrate the launch of a recipe book, created as part of resettlement project in North Wales.  The cookbook “From the World to Wales” was created by resettled families who have made their home in Wales, with each dish telling a story of home, journeys, and new beginnings.

DLL’s Community Arts team collaborated with the DCC Resettlement and North East Wales Community Cohesion teams on the successful project, with grant support from Arts Council of Wales’s Arts, Health and Wellbeing Lottery funding the book.

Guests from across the partner organisations were invited to the launch which took place at Rhyl Youth Centre. The event gave guests the opportunity to meet with resettled families involved in the project, to sample some of their dishes and to celebrate the completion of the book, which brought together families from diverse backgrounds to share recipes and experiences.

The families worked with artist Jude Wood over three months sharing stories and creating artwork and recipes for the book, inviting people to explore new flavours and experience the cultures and traditions behind every meal.  Dishes from Columbia, Pakistan, Trinidad and Ukraine were among those featured and guests at the event met with the families and Jude to learn first hand about the work that went into creating the book.

Jamie Groves, Managing Director of DLL, said: “This wonderful cookbook was developed as part of a resettlement project in North Wales, bringing together families from diverse backgrounds to share their recipes and experiences. Today’s launch was a fantastic opportunity for everyone who attended to learn a little more about the creation of the book, the families involved and the wider resettlement project. The DLL Community Arts team have been delighted to be involved in such a heartwarming project, and to see the completion of a cookbook which brings our diverse community together to celebrate connections through food, traditions, stories and cultures.”

Councillor Geraint Lloyd-Williams, Lead Member for Housing and the Local Development Plan said: “This launch is the culmination of 10 years of hard work by our amazing resettlement team. Bringing together families, friends and colleagues, this event embodied the spirit of this initiative, sharing stories, food and culture from all parts of the world. The team has helped families settle in Denbighshire for 10 years, and ensure that refugees receive the support needed to integrate and thrive in Denbighshire. This event was a lovely way to celebrate, with this new cookbook showcasing traditions and cultures in a creative and accessible format for all to enjoy.”