Asha Neighbourhood Project

04/06/2026

Yesterday's Culture & Community cooking group tantalised the tastebuds with a traditional Bangladeshi Haleem (Halim), rich aromatic, slow-cooked lentil and meat stew.

The group also prepared meat pakoras served with Turkish bread to create a delicious multicultural meal. Read more here: https://ashaneighbourhood.wordpress.com/news-events/

A great time was had by all women taking part sharing their culture, learning new skills and forging new friendships.

Would you like to join us? Contact [email protected] or phone 0113 270 4600 to find out more.

04/06/2026

We were delighted to pick up a Community Champions Appreciation Award this week for our work in encouraging the uptake of vaccination.

The Leeds Community Champion programme is a public health and wellbeing initiative run by Voluntary Action Leeds, Forum Central and Leeds City Council Public Health.

Spreading the message about the importance of vaccination particularly to marginalised communities less likely to access mainstream healthcare is a key objective of the programme and one in which Asha Neighbourhood Project has been proud to be involved.

02/06/2026

Look what our women have been cooking up this week at our workshop on Healthy Eating on a Budget... yummy traditional Bangladeshi street food 'Chotpoti'!

The session was also a great opportunity to reconnect with friends, forge new friendships and develop a sense of community that is so often lost in today's busy world.

As the saying goes: '𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙.'

Contact Tahena at Asha on 0113 270 4600 or by email: [email protected] to get involved.

20/05/2026

Spent a wonderful afternoon at the Asha Neighbourhood Project on Wednesday 19th for a “Grow Your Food and Eat Season Well” session Groundwork Yorkshire

We planted edible crops in recycled fruit containers, created a herb planter from pallets, and shared homemade cheese, herb buns, refreshing herb drinks, tea, and coffee with members of the South Leeds community.

Everyone also took home planted seeds to continue growing food at home. A lovely afternoon of learning, sharing, and community spirit.

20/05/2026

What a Beautiful Day at Our Community Cultural Cooking Group in Asha Project ✨🌍

Today’s Community Cultural Cooking funded by HNA was filled with laughter, teamwork, delicious aromas, and people coming together through food and culture. From the moment everyone gathered around with warm cups of karak chai, the room was buzzing with ideas, conversation, and excitement as teams planned, shopped, cooked, and shared the experience together.

🍲 The kitchen came alive with incredible dishes from different cultures and traditions:

🐟 **Bengali Fish Biran** — a fragrant, spicy fried fish dish covered in rich caramelised onions and warming spices that had everyone asking for seconds.

🍜 **Garlic Veggie Stir-Fried Vermicelli** — packed with crisp vegetables, garlic, and flavour, freshly cooked by one energetic team working side by side.

🍤🥬 Spinach (Saag) Prawn Bhaji, a beautiful South Asian and Caribbean-inspired dish combining succulent spiced prawns with vibrant spinach, served with roasted potatoes and fresh mixed salad.

🍌🍮 And to finish, a stunning Indian-Style Banana Custard Trifle layered with soft pound cake, bananas, and creamy traditional custard that disappeared almost instantly!

But the best part wasn’t only the food — it was the atmosphere. New friendships were formed, recipes and stories were shared, and everyone played a part, from chopping vegetables to washing dishes, packing leftovers, hovering, and making sure nothing went to waste.

💛 This group is more than cooking. It’s about community, confidence, culture, connection, and belonging. You do not need cooking experience, just a willingness to join in, learn something new, and enjoy being part of a supportive and welcoming space.

If you’ve been thinking about coming along, this is your sign.
Come for the food, stay for the friendships. 🌟

🍽️ **New members are always welcome, we’d love to see you cook your favourite family dish..

19/05/2026

19/05/2026

Rising cost of living mean you're feeling the pinch? Are your children constantly outgrowing their clothes?

Next Wednesday (May 27th) Beeston Community Centre are having a Pop-Up Children's Clothing event with free clothes available from birth to aged 7-8 while stocks last.

From 11am-1pm at Beeston Community Centre, LS11 8DQ. See below for more details

18/05/2026

Come to Asha Neighbourhood Project

18/05/2026

Second Cooking Session at the Comic Relief Project: Asha Neighbourhood Project

Women came together once again for the second cooking session at the Comic Relief project at the Asha Project, creating another warm, welcoming, and community-focused afternoon.

The session began with everyone sharing a comforting cup of chai together, providing time to check in, connect, and discuss how everyone was doing before starting the cooking activities.

A group of 14 women then worked side by side to prepare a delicious and nutritious South Asian meal. The menu included fragrant vegetable rice (veg pulao), made with basmati rice, mixed vegetables, and aromatic spices in a simple one-pot dish. The group also prepared crispy aubergine pakoras, where tender slices of aubergine were coated in seasoned chickpea flour batter and fried until golden and crunchy.

Alongside this, the women made aloo bhorta, a traditional South Asian mashed potato dish mixed with onions, chillies, and spices, full of bold flavour and comfort. Crispy spinach and potato pakoras were another highlight of the session, bringing together potatoes, fresh spinach, and spiced chickpea batter fried to perfection.

To complete the meal, the group prepared a fresh Bengali-style salad using cucumber, red onion, tomato, green chillies, lime, and salt, adding a refreshing and colourful side dish to the table.

The cooking activity encouraged teamwork, confidence-building, budgeting skills, healthy cooking, and cultural food sharing, while continuing to create a supportive and inclusive environment where women could connect, learn, and enjoy time together.

The women are already looking forward to next week’s session, where they plan to make refreshing mango lassi, a creamy yogurt-based mango drink, alongside chotpoti, a popular and flavourful Bengali street food enjoyed across Bangladesh and West Bengal.

18/05/2026

Our ladies have been cooking up a storm this morning, taking part in the second of 10 healthy cooking on a budget workshops.

Funded by , the workshops are part of our Survive & Thrive Project, which aims to help lift women out of poverty by enabling them to save money, live healthier and lead independent, confident lives.

Today the challenge was to cook varied tasty dishes using fresh veg and storeroom herbs and spices. A great opportunity to explore cooking skills, collaborate and share experiences.