Years Slater
Eas t Enders’ Gillian Wright on playing Jean, the soap’s anniversary specials and her early acting experiences
Food and friendship for Ukrainian refugees
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From the editor’s desk
EastEnders viewers have not only been tuning in for this week’s drama but have also been looking back as the soap celebrates its 40th anniversary. Last Monday (17 February) Ross Kemp fronted a BBC1 documentary remembering some of the memorable storylines that have unfolded in Walford since 1985.
In this week’s issue of the War Cry, one EastEnders actress is doing some looking back of her own. Gillian Wright tells us about playing Jean Slater, a character who first appeared on the show in 2004. Recalling a time even further back, she also reveals something else: ‘A lot of my early acting experience came from The Salvation Army.’
Gillian grew up in a family that attended a Salvation Army church in Reading, where, as well as singing, she followed in the footsteps of her mother, who ‘often performed monologues and recitations during meetings’. As a teenager, she even wrote a script for a Salvation Army event at the Royal Albert Hall. The actress says that she looks back on those years with fondness, recognising that The Salvation Army placed great importance on ‘social justice and caring for others’.
Another article this week shows how The Salvation Army is currently caring for others – in this case, Ukrainians who have been fleeing the war that began three years ago. It has been running a centre in Glasgow that offers trauma-informed care to the refugees who are staying there. Meanwhile, the Salvation Army church in Scarborough is running a café and hub for Ukrainians.
‘The idea is to provide a home from home,’ says co-leader of the Scarborough church, Major Stephen Noble. The project has provided food, furniture vouchers, clothing and bicycles, but it also offers the refugees ‘a meeting place’ and ‘a therapeutic element’. Major Noble sums up the project’s efforts as an attempt to ‘bring something of God’s love’ to people.
It is what The Salvation Army has always done, and – in the year when it celebrates its 160th anniversary – will continually seek to do.
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Your local Salvation Army centre
‘A lot of my early acting experience came from The Salvation Army ’
To
mark the 40th anniversary of EastEnders, GILLIAN
WRIGHT looks back over her years of portraying Jean Slater – and reflects on the role that The Salvation Army played in her life
Interview by Claire Brine
There is explosive drama in Albert Square this week. Doof! EastEnders is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Doof! And soap bosses promise that the ‘shocking twists’ will change the Square and ‘the lives of those who live in it – for ever’. (Cue multiple doofs and music.)
While stars of the BBC1 soap have remained tightlipped on the details of the anniversary storylines, fans have been speculating for weeks about what’s in store. Who would be revealed as Cindy Beale’s Christmas attacker? What trouble would Grant Mitchell cause on his return to Walford?
The other big news revealed to viewers in the runup to the soap’s birthday week was that – for the first time – they could vote on the outcome of a longrunning romantic storyline. Denise Fox’s future was in the audience’s hands. Who would viewers choose for her to be with – husband Jack or secret lover Ravi?
A couple of weeks before the storylines begin to unfold on screen, I speak to Gillian Wright, who plays Jean Slater. Of course, her lips are sealed on the plot twists of the anniversary episodes – but conversation flows when I broach the subject of the live special scheduled for broadcast on Thursday (20 February).
‘It’s a heap of work to create a live episode, so the cast and crew have been rehearsing a lot,’ says Gillian. ‘And it’s so lovely to be able to do that. Usually, when we film EastEnders, we have to work very quickly. We have four or five cameras in the studio, and filming is like jumping on a fast-moving
Gillian Wright
train. You can’t do take after take after take. There’s just no time.
‘But with a live episode, we get to rehearse a lot. And that’s great because, as actors, you get the opportunity to not do the first thing that comes into your head. You can try out other ways of saying the line.’
Gillian made her first EastEnders appearance in 2004, when the character of Jean was introduced as part of a storyline concerning Stacey Slater, her daughter. From the start, it was apparent that Jean was struggling with her mental health – and the relationship she had with Stacey was rocky.
‘At first, I appeared only in occasional episodes, which were used to explain Stacey’s arrival in the Square,’ remembers Gillian. ‘But then the writers wanted to make Jean a regular character. And we decided that she would suffer from bipolar disorder.
‘In the early days, Jean was in a very dark and unpleasant state. She was tricky to deal with and really hated Stacey. But when she became a regular character, we knew that we couldn’t maintain that level of intensity with her. Firstly, it wouldn’t be watchable in the long term. Secondly, it wouldn’t have been healthy for me to inhabit the role. So, gradually, we toned her down a bit.
‘Over the years, Jean has gone through huge changes. I think the biggest change took place when Stacey was diagnosed as bipolar, because Jean knew that she had to grow up a bit and accept some responsibility. She became worried about Stacey and started to be more of a mother to her. Their relationship has continued to evolve.’
I found the Army a joyful place to be, and I look back on it with fondness
In2006, Gillian won a Mental Health Media Award for her sensitive portrayal of a character living with bipolar disorder. She was grateful to learn that her performance had struck a chord with viewers.
‘Playing somebody with bipolar is a huge responsibility that I take very seriously,’ she says. ‘I go to great lengths to make sure that what I am doing on screen comes from a place of truth –because if we portray bipolar disorder incorrectly, it’s insulting to those affected by it. If ever I thought that someone was watching EastEnders and throwing their slipper at the TV, yelling that “bipolar isn’t
like that”, I’d be mortified.’
After talking with me about her years of playing Jean, Gillian looks back further over her life and speaks about her childhood. She was born in 1959 and raised in a Christian family. Every Sunday, they went to a Salvation Army church – or ‘corps’ –in Reading.
‘My dad’s family had been in The Salvation Army for generations, so I was taken along as a babe in arms,’ she says. ‘I grew up going to Sunday services at the Reading Central Corps, where my dad was the treasurer and played in the band, and my mum was a Sunday school teacher. My sister and I were junior soldiers and sang in the singing company.
‘We went on Sunday marches, served soup to people at the Reading Festival, and I even collected for the annual appeal, knocking on people’s doors in freezing weather to pick up
In 2009, Jean helped daughter Stacey (Lacey Turner) after she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder
‘EastEnders’ has been marking its 40th anniversary with some explosive storylines
the donation envelopes we’d posted a few days before. On Sundays, my family would take a picnic lunch and tea to the hall, because we knew that we would be there all day for the morning, afternoon and evening meetings.’
Being part of a lively church kept Gillian busy. It also offered her opportunities to explore her creative side.
‘A lot of my early acting experience came from The Salvation Army,’ she says. ‘My mum often performed monologues or recitations during meetings, and I started doing the same. We used to join up with other corps to rehearse and put on musicals. I also remember an occasion when I wrote a script for a Salvation Army event at the Royal Albert Hall. I was just a teenager, but I took the Sunday school kids up to London, by minibus, to perform it.’
Whatever activities Gillian was involved with, she understood that members of The Salvation Army had a mission that was motivated by their Christian faith. Some of the preachers she encountered
at Reading Central made a lasting impression on her.
‘One, in particular, was so dramatic in delivering his sermons that you would listen to everything he said,’ she recalls. ‘I found the Army a joyful place to be, and I look back on it with fondness. It gave me a strong bedrock of what was right and wrong. It instilled in me the value of social justice and caring for others.’
It also introduced Gillian to the idea that there was a God who loved her.
‘I remember being very young when I came to understand that God was with me everywhere,’ she says. ‘And it worried me – because when bedtime came and I climbed into my single bed, I thought I was squashing God! I kept waking up at night to say sorry for squeezing him out. In the end, I think I asked him to sleep on the floor.’
Though Gillian is no longer a regular churchgoer, she remains grateful to The Salvation Army for its influence on her life.
‘I still have a faith – but it’s a quiet one,’ she says. ‘And sometimes I pray.
Every Sunday morning, when Radio 4 broadcasts worship services from different churches, I find myself singing along to the hymns, surprising myself by how much I remember them.
‘One thing I’ll never forget from my time in The Salvation Army is the number of people I met who – when I was out door-to-door collecting – told me that it was the only charity they donated to, because it was on the front line during the Second World War. Stories like that really impacted me – because I knew that I was part of something important.’
home from home
Feature by Sarah Olowofoyeku
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February three years ago, millions of Ukrainians have been displaced. About 250,000 refugees have made their way to the UK, and some of them have received support from The Salvation Army.
Since December 2022 – in partnership with South Lanarkshire council – it has been running an old university building in Barrack Street, Glasgow, as a 150-room transitional accommodation facility for Ukrainian refugees.
Karen Good, the contract manager at Barrack Street, says that within the first month of the service opening, the number of residents increased dramatically.
‘There are now 130 residents,’ she says, ‘with a small team of us supporting them, offering trauma-informed care as well as helping with visas and housing applications.
‘Many people have stayed with us, though some have moved back to Ukraine, while others who returned to Ukraine found that they didn’t have anything to go back to and had to come to the UK again.
‘The majority of people are in employment as well, so it’s a very settled service.’
Barrack Street was initially contracted to The Salvation Army for six months by the Scottish government, but that term was extended as the conflict continued.
‘The residents feel that this is their home, and want to stay, and we are happy to be a part of that,’ Karen says. ‘There is trauma, and people are still dealing with mental health and addictions, so we link in other support groups and agencies.
‘Some of the residents are trying to deal with what has happened to them, and some of their families are still
In the three years since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, The Salvation Army in the UK has been helping refugees who have had to leave their country
fighting on the front line, so they have their own coping mechanisms.
‘The support we offer will just be what people need at that point in time.
‘The Ukrainian refugees are so thankful at absolutely everything that they receive, which grabs my heart. They’ve gone through so much and we’re only doing a wee bit to make sure that they’re safe.’
Further south, Major Stephen Noble, co-leader of the Salvation Army church in Scarborough, is doing his bit to make sure that Ukrainian refugees feel safe and welcome in the UK.
In 2022, Stephen and his church decided to support the Ukrainian refugees in the town. So they contacted a group which was already doing so, Scarborough Sunflower Appeal. Together they launched the Sunflower Café and Hub in January 2023.
‘The idea is to provide a home from
Volunteer Dennis – a refugee – serving in Scarborough’s Sunflower Café
home for Ukrainians,’ Stephen explains, ‘so we provide various Ukrainian food dishes every week. It is also a meeting place for the refugees, and a place where the wider community can integrate with them.’
Alongside good food and a place for conversation, the hub offers language courses, employment training and advice about doctors, dentists and schooling.
We’ve provided food parcels and furniture vouchers
‘F or refugees arriving,’ says Stephen, ‘we’ve provided food vouchers, food parcels, clothing, toys, assistance to get to interviews or to medical appointments, furniture vouchers and school uniform. We’ve given 45 bicycles
for the children to get to school.
‘Over the past year, as things have settled a bit, we have started to ask how the community can establish a longerterm perspective. We became aware that a lot of children were losing contact with Ukrainian culture and the Ukrainian language, so we have employed a Ukrainian lady who now runs six children’s cultural and language classes.
‘Finally, with regard to trying to bring a therapeutic element into the hub, we have established a Ukrainian choir for ladies and we run a theatre training class for children on Saturday morning.’
Some 300 Ukrainians, including 50 children, are recipients of the support on offer in Scarborough. Success comes in small but significant measures.
‘The stories don’t sound huge in themselves,’ Stephen says, ‘but success is where we’ve managed to take 16 people to the dentist. Then there’s
the joy on the kids’ faces as we provided them with bicycles, and with toys at Christmas.
‘What is significant is that as the Ukrainians have come into The Salvation Army, they’ve discovered a different context of the Christian faith, and they’ve discovered an unconditional love that people have for them – and they feel that has changed them as a group.
‘It’s not something that they’re used to. People don’t volunteer in Ukraine –it’s not a concept that’s practised. So, they can be quite overwhelmed to see people here just giving their time and support so that others can get what they need.
‘These men, women and children have had their lives torn apart, because they’ve lost everything. That motivates us to come alongside them and bring something of God’s love into their lives.’
The community comes together at the Barrack Street centre in Glasgow
Café manager Inna Moroz, a refugee
‘RECOVERY REQUIRES A MENTAL SHIFT ’
To mark Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which starts on Monday (24 February), ANNA MARIE LONG and STEPHANIE BROWN – co-authors of a book on food, faith and body image – offer practical steps to supporting someone with an eating disorder
Interview by Emily Bright
‘Ihad a disordered relationship with food which started in early middle school,’ says Stephanie Brown, co-author of Nourished by Faith, a book which covers nutrition, body image and eating disorders. ‘Growing up here in Texas, I was doing competitive cheerleading, which prioritises a specific body type and always striving to be thin, so there was lots of peer comparison.
‘Then my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer. It wasn’t down to genetics, and so in my already disordered relationship with food, I was like, “Oh, well it must be diet-related” and I began to google it. But that led to a lot of misinformation, and I started to fall into the trap of diet culture and had a lot of food fears. I spiralled into a severe eating disorder for about three years, along with lots of anxiety and depression.’
Thanks to counselling and the support of an eating disorder specialist, Stephanie
began to gain weight and develop a healthier relationship with food. But it was her discovery of faith, shortly after her recovery, that gave her lasting hope for her future.
‘During the worst times of my eating disorder, I was very anti-faith,’ she says. ‘I isolated myself a lot. But at the end of my junior year of high school, a girl invited me to her birthday party. It was the first friend invite I’d received to anything. So I went along, simply hoping to make some friends. I found out that everyone at the birthday party was in the same Bible study. I joined their Bible study and at such a low point in my life, I was like: “The Bible is speaking to me.”
‘I started praying and when Covid hit, I watched church online. When I heard the gospel, I found a lot more hope. I’ve learnt that Jesus impacts how we live today. We
can have joy and freedom in the present as well as into eternal life with him.’
Stephanie decided to study nutrition at college, which she says ‘solidified’ her recovery.
‘It was super cool to learn the science behind what we eat,’ she says. ‘I was serving in my local church doing gospelcentred recovery work that was applicable to everyone living in a broken world, and
I thought I would love to apply that to eating disorders, but I didn’t know where to get experience. Then I met Anna Marie.’
Stephanie recently worked as an intern with her co-author Anna Marie Long, a registered dietician and certified eating disorder specialist in Austin. Anna Marie had a similarly complicated relationship with food when she was younger.
‘I was never formally diagnosed with an eating disorder, but I definitely had a disordered relationship with food in college,’ she recalls. ‘I was spending a lot of time on Google, looking up nutrition information and realised: “Oh, I can major in this.”
‘I learned about intuitive eating and the non-diet approach, and realised what I was doing didn’t actually work. I was focusing on calorie numbers and what I felt like I “should” eat, not eating what I wanted. I was trying to be in control, but
all that did was take the enjoyment out of food.’
As I speak over Zoom with the pair, they take it in turns to talk about what they have learnt on the topics of nutrition, eating disorders, mental health and faith.
They both share a fascination with nutrition and the powerful role faith can play in aiding recovery.
Social media now plays a significant role
Their new book feels timely. Monday (24 February) marks the start of Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which aims to highlight how mental health conditions associated with food can affect anyone, at any time.
Anna Marie explains that eating disorders don’t necessarily fit into neat
diagnostic tick boxes. But she has a rule of thumb that she uses as a starting point in her one-to-one consultations.
‘I’ll ask my client what percentage of their thoughts are about food,’ she says. ‘Some thoughts, like making a grocery list for the week, are normal. But if negative thoughts about food are more than half of your waking thoughts every day, it’s an indicator that there’s probably something disordered going on.’
She highlights some of the key emotional symptoms to look out for, including ‘feeling anxious about food or the next meal’ when in reality there are no immediate concerns about the availability of food.
‘If someone is worried about being able to afford a meal, that’s a completely different story,’ she clarifies. ‘But if they’re
Anna Marie Long and Stephanie Brown
worried about whether their next meal is going to be good or bad and equating a moral value to it, that’s the emotional side coming to the fore.’
Stephanie highlights some of the physical symptoms associated with eating disorders: ‘hair getting thinner, nails starting to break more, and lightheadedness. Sleep quality decreases in many cases too, because you’re hungry and so you’re waking up.’
Nourished by Faith also explores some of the risk factors behind eating disorders.
‘The environment someone grows up in has a huge impact,’ says Stephanie, ‘whether that be their parents, guardians, teachers, coaches or peer groups. Social media now plays a significant role, with misinformation on TikTok and Instagram reels or posts. There’s also marketing from the diet industry.’
When she meets clients, Anna Marie will ask them about their parents’ relationship with food, and how food was talked about in their house when they were growing up. ‘Ascribing of moral value to food can happen at a pretty young age,’ she says.
There are biological factors too.
Stephanie explains that some people are predisposed to mental health conditions such as OCD, anxiety and depression, ‘which are all highly correlated with eating disorders and perfectionistic tendencies’. She believes that, when it comes to treating eating disorders in the US, there is an overemphasis on physical improvement at the expense of tracking changes in mental health.
‘Eating recovery centres focus on weight restoration,’ she says. ‘But people relapse all the time because there also needs to be a mental shift. In my case, while I had weight restored, I was still stuck in my disordered patterns.’
Nourished by Faith aims to highlight what the two women believe is an important, but often overlooked, factor in breaking disordered patterns of eating: belief in God.
‘There are great resources on nutrition and the non-diet approach already out there,’ says Anna Marie. ‘But we really wanted our book to be different in that it has a biblical foundation.
‘A lot of mental health issues thrive in isolation. However, if we place our trust in Jesus, we get to talk to him whenever we want. He is our ultimate comforter and our ultimate counsel. He has adopted us into his family, he calls us his friend.’
Stephanie adds that Jesus is well placed to understand our human experience.
‘He was betrayed by his friends. He mourned the death of friends. He was killed on the cross. We even see him sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, while praying ahead of the Crucifixion.
‘Jesus was fully God, but he was also fully man. The power of Jesus is that he understands emotions and how they impact us. In the Bible it says that Jesus is “acquainted with our grief” because he has experienced it himself. I think that allows us to have access to him in such an intimate way as we go through mental health struggles.’
To those who may be struggling with an eating
disorder, Anna Marie offers some pointers: ‘If you have a best friend, a parent, a sibling, anyone you can talk to about it, let them in and ask for accountability. Be prayerful. And reach out for help. See if there are therapists or dieticians – both would be ideal – in your area and get an assessment.’
Stephanie elaborates on the power of professional mental health support.
‘Counselling is particularly helpful if you find that you’re struggling in relationships, or maybe there is some trauma or mental health condition that is underlying the eating disorder. A lot of dieticians and counsellors work together as a team to support recovery. In my recovery, my counsellor was hugely important.’
Anna Marie also offers advice for carers, friends and family members who are trying to support those with eating disorders.
She says: ‘The biggest thing is being quick to listen and slow to speak, as it says in the Bible. If you’re supporting someone with an eating disorder, it can be so tempting to try to give advice or offer reassurance that they’re not fat.
‘But a better response would be, “I’m really sorry that you feel that way. Tell me more about what that feels like”, because 9 or 10 times out of 10, the feeling of being uncomfortable in your body is masking something bigger.
‘The more that the person has a safe space to talk about it, the more that you
can actually figure out what the real issue is, because most of the time it’s not really about the body, it’s about something more. Also, I’d recommend being prayerful about that person. The Lord hears and answers prayers.’
I want people to find freedom in their relationship to food
As our interview draws to a close, Stephanie pauses to reflect on what she’d like readers of Nourished by Faith to take away from it.
‘First and foremost,’ she says, ‘my
hope is that they would realise the gospel truly does impact all areas of our lives. Second, I hope they realise that a relationship with God does impact the way we can see food. And then third, I want people to find freedom in their relationship to food, body image and exercise.’
l Nourished by Faith is published by Literary Canvas Publishing House
Your prayers are requested for Oliver and for Joseph.
The War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their circumstances, for publication. Send your Prayerlink requests to warcry@ salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.
jBecoming a Christian
There is no set formula to becoming a Christian, but many people have found saying this prayer to be a helpful first step to a relationship with God
Browsing the Bible
Nigel Bovey gives chapter and verse on each book of the Scriptures
Judges
The Book of Judges covers the time between the death of Joshua and the establishment of the Jewish monarchy – a period of more than 400 years. It recounts the challenges Israel faced in completing the occupation of Canaan and in keeping the territories gained through the military exploits of Joshua.
Further expansionist campaigns are chronicled, including the capture of Jerusalem, but many intended towns are not conquered (chapter 1). In some areas, the policy of annihilation becomes one of assimilation, to the extent that people once faithful to God start to worship other gods. Because of such disobedience, says God, they will always face conflict with their neighbours (chapter 2). Because of the country’s actions, Israel falls into servitude to the king of Mesopotamia for eight years (3:7 and 8).
After Joshua’s death, the confederation of the 12 tribes – descendants of the 12 sons of Jacob – is led by a succession of ‘judges’. These are more military than legislative roles.
The first judge, Othniel, rescues the nation, and there is 40 years of peace (3:11).
Lord Jesus Christ,
I am truly sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong.
Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free.
Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Holy Spirit.
Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever.
Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen
A new generation falls into bad ways and the City of Palms (Jericho) falls to the Moabites. An 18-year servitude follows before the next judge, Ehud, delivers them (3:12–30). It is the beginning of a pattern.
When Israel is faithful to God, there is peace. When, in contravention of the Ten Commandments, the Israelites worship other gods, they are defeated by foreign tribes and forced into years of servitude. In desperation, they cry out for a saviour. A judge appears, reminds Israel of her covenant relationship with God, defeats the oppressor and restores order.
Many judges are mentioned fleetingly, while the exploits of Deborah (chapters 4 and 5), Gideon (chapters 6 to 8) and Samson (chapters 14 to 16) receive fuller treatment.
This inauspicious period of Israelite history is summarised in the book’s final verse: ‘In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit’ (Judges 21:25).
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QUICK QUIZ
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Playing catch-up
Who wrote the children’s book Anne of Green Gables?
Who directed the film Saving Private Ryan?
What does the Spanish word ‘bienvenido’ mean in English?
What do the letters in the name of music retailer HMV stand for?
What suspension bridge connects San Francisco to Marin County?
Which boy band had a No 1 hit in 2006 with their album Beautiful World?
Pokémon Day brings together trainers from around the globe for a day of fun
Feature by Ewan Hall
Villains Team Rocket need to ‘prepare for trouble and make it double’, as fans get ready to celebrate the good guys with Pokémon Day on 27 February – the day the original games were released.
What started out as video games about catching creatures and using the various characters to battle each other has evolved into a franchise that has sold 380 million copies worldwide. However, Pokémon is not just a series of video games. Pikachu, Eevee, Dragonite and the other ‘Pocket Monsters’ have appeared in more than 1,000 TV episodes produced in more than 30 languages. There are also card games available in 76 countries, as well as other spin-off products, with fans, also known as ‘trainers’, wanting to catch them all – or at least as many as they can manage.
Pokémon celebrates its special day each year by laying on special events in the video games and releasing new playing cards and merchandise. The characters have created countless fans who – no matter how they discovered it – are all united by their love of the franchise.
But Pokémon is not alone in being able to bring people together. Other games and sports can do the same, as can music or an ideology or philosophy or belief.
One faith that has been uniting groups around the world for centuries is Christianity. And its followers share a common experience: the positive difference that a loving, inclusive God has made in their lives.
In the Bible, one of the first of those believers says: ‘I can see, for sure, that God does not respect one person more than another. He is pleased with any man in any nation who honours him and does what is right’ (Acts 10:34 and 35 New Life Version
If we decide to join God’s worldwide family, we can experience his unconditional love, which – no matter who we are, where we come from or what we’ve done – will enable us to be the very best version of ourselves.
ACROSS
1. Display (7)
5. Droll (5)
7. Faultless (7)
8. Of them (5)
10. Slide (4) 11. Neck support (8)
13. Coddle (6) 14. Legal (6) 17. Pet name (8) 19. Region (4) 21. Performing (5) 22. Lower (7) 23. Tender (5) 24. Ingredient (7)
2. Bravery (7)
3. Sugar (4) 4. Tie (6) 5. Retract (8) 6. Yonder (5)
Deferred (9)
Seek revenge (9)
HONEYCOMB
Tortilla lasagne
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas Mark 7.
400g can chopped tomatoes with herbs
2tbsp tomato ketchup
2tbsp garlic puree
Pinch sugar
450g lean beef mince
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
75g fresh or frozen diced mixed vegetables
4-6 corn tortillas
470g jar prepared cheese sauce
50g grated cheddar cheese
Mixed salad and garlic bread, to serve
INGREDIENTS
To make the bolognese sauce, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato ketchup, garlic puree and sugar to a large pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick pan and fry the mince in batches for 5-7 minutes, breaking up any lumps with the back of a spoon. Add the onion and vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Stir the bolognese sauce into the mince, bring to the boil and reduce the heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes.
Spoon half the mixture into a 25cm square ovenproof dish. Cover with a layer of tortillas, then spoon the other half of the mixture on top and cover with the remaining tortillas. Top with an even layer of cheese sauce and sprinkle with the cheddar.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve with the salad and garlic bread.
Thai massaman curry
METHOD
1tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2tbsp massaman curry paste
450g lean beef strips
400ml can coconut milk
2tbsp crunchy peanut butter
150ml beef stock
1tbsp fish sauce
450g small new potatoes, quartered
Salt and ground black pepper
25g roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
Rice and seasonal vegetables, to serve
Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and cook the onion on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the curry paste and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
Add the beef strips and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, peanut butter, stock and fish sauce, then bring to the boil. Add the potatoes, then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked. Season with the salt and pepper, to taste.
Garnish with the peanuts and serve with the rice and vegetables.
When
troubles seem near, God is nearer, and he’s ready to help
Psalm 46:1 (The Voice)