A new community café which celebrates the foods of Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Vietnam, France and Britain has launched in Blackburn.
Tastes of Home Collective CIC celebrated the opening of its new weekly pop-up café at MeeMaws in King Street.
Residents from across the borough were invited to sample freshly prepared dishes inspired by cultures from around the globe.
The group was founded following an idea developed by Blackburn with Darwen Food Alliance Coordinator, Annie Roberts, five years ago.
Inspired by her passion for bringing people together through food, Annie set out to create opportunities for talented home cooks from different cultural backgrounds to share their recipes, heritage and traditions while learning from one another.
What began as a simple idea has grown into a thriving social enterprise, bringing together skilled home cooks from Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Vietnam, France and Britain.
Tastes of Home aims to offer authentic international catering for events and organisations, alongside its welcoming weekly pop-up café every Friday.
Annie said: "When I first imagined Tastes of Home, I hoped it would create a space where people could share not just recipes, but stories, traditions and friendships.
"The vision could only become reality because of the passion, talent and commitment of the incredible women who embraced it.
"Seeing them build something that celebrates their cultures while creating opportunities for themselves has been one of the proudest moments of my career."
Libyan-born Zinab said: "For me, teamwork represents more than simply working together; it is an opportunity to learn from one another, exchange ideas, and create dishes that reflect our combined cultures.
"This experience has strengthened my appreciation for innovation, diversity and collective effort."
Each member of the group brings their own unique heritage, skills and experiences to the kitchen while discovering new flavours and traditions from one another.
Originally from Sudan, Salma loves baking traditional Arabic desserts and says working as part of the collective has given everyone the opportunity to learn from one another while adding their own creative touches to traditional recipes.
Fatima, who came to Blackburn from Somalia in 2004, said cooking has always been a way of supporting her community.
Although she was initially nervous about cooking as part of a team, she has discovered how enjoyable it is to share ideas, skills and cultures in the kitchen.
Hasina, who was born in Vietnam and raised in France with Vietnamese and South Indian heritage, believes 'sharing food creates lasting friendships'.
She said she enjoyed 'introducing people to French and Vietnamese cuisine while discovering dishes from around the world'.
Through initiatives such as Tastes of Home, the Blackburn with Darwen Food Alliance is working towards achieving the Sustainable Food Places Silver Award, recognising places that are transforming their local food systems by making healthy, sustainable and affordable food available to everyone.
The weekly café will aim to provide a space where people can experience authentic home-cooked food from around the world while meeting the people and stories behind each dish.
The Tastes of Home pop-up café is open every Friday from 11am until 2pm at MeeMaws in King Street, Blackburn.
To find out more you can email annie@bwdfoodalliance.org.uk or call 07790 895046.
