SALES of a special recipe book has raised more than £600 for Pendleside Hospice in Reedley.

The Colne Recipe Book features recipes donated by Pendle residents and was part of a Food in Pendle project aimed to find out the eating habits of residents and what barriers they encountered to eating a healthy diet.

Jane Wright, of Pendle Council, said: "The project showed many people do not have the time to cook themselves and are eating fast or convenience foods which can be more expensive and not necessarily as nutritional.

"From this, came the idea of publishing the book of recipes that people could cook quickly and easily. Many recipes are dishes that residents in Pendle may remember from their childhood.

"The book has sold well and we are delighted to have raised £600 for the invaluable work that the hospice does for our community. The book is still on sale and all future proceeds will go to the hospice."

Kaye Bartle, hospice fundraising manager, said: "We are grateful for this donation. The hospice has annual running costs of £1.5million of which more than £1.1million has to be raised from fundraising events and donations."

One of the recipes, called Pendle Pie, was created specially for the Nelson Food Festival in 2001 by celebrity chef Paul Heathcote.

Other recipes include Farmers' Market Carrot and Coriander Soup, Polpetti (Italian Meatballs), and Posh Pear and Chocolate Crumble. The book includes traditional and modern dishes some of which are made from Fairtrade and farmers' market produce. There are even cocktails called Pendle Thrill and Banocha Smoothie.