To wrap up our “Cooking with Love” project, which has been running since January 2024, Lusoconnectionuk hosted a special Mother’s Day brunch to celebrate all the amazing mums who participated.

Funded by the NHS Integrated Care and proudly supported by Salford CVS, “Cooking with love” has brought families together through food, culture, and shared moments, creating a sense of community.

Our Mothering Sunday brunch was a joyful gathering filled with warmth, laughter, and heartfelt connection. This event wasn’t just about the food—it was about recognising the incredible women who’ve been part of this project and who have supported Lusoconnectionuk through volunteering and community involvement over the past two years.

Everyone who participated was invited to bring a traditional dessert from their culture, resulting in a beautiful, colourful dessert table showcasing our community’s richness. The main dish was a mouth-watering Portuguese BBQ chicken, lovingly prepared by Ana Julia from Juju Delicacies – our lead chef throughout the project. And to bring even more flavour to the day, our co-founder Monica de Pina cooked up a generous pot of Cachupa, Cape Verde’s iconic national dish.

There were also special performances from the children in our music project, who’ve been learning guitar and ukulele with our brilliant music coordinator, Débora Schneider. Their performance filled the room with pride, emotion and big smiles from their families.

We took the opportunity to thank the wonderful mums who joined us on this journey. Each mum received a certificate to honour their participation in Cooking with Love and a personalised cookbook with all the recipes they learned and shared. To make the moment extra special, every mother was gifted a handmade present thoughtfully created by VMIdeias – a small but meaningful gesture of appreciation from Lusoconnectionuk.

The children also had the chance to express their creativity by making personalised Mother’s Day cards, while the grown-ups enjoyed the music, delicious food and great company.

One of our attendees, Anabela Silva, beautifully said, “Thank you for organising such a lovely event for Mother’s Day. Everything was perfect — I loved every moment. Also, a huge thank you to the chef for the day. It was tasty, and everything was perfect.”

To close the event, we were treated to a powerful and moving performance by Creolas de Salford, an intergenerational group led by the incredible Tânia Camará. Through Batuku – the soulful Cape Verdean art form blending music, dance and storytelling – they reminded us how deeply culture and heritage connect us. Their final piece, honouring motherhood and strength truly brought the house down.

This memorable day was made possible thanks to the generous support of ForHousing, who helped co-fund the event, and the tireless work of the Lusoconnectionuk team.

It wasn’t just a celebration – it was a beautiful example of community, culture, and connection in action.

To every mum who has been part of Cooking with Love, thank you. Your strength, kindness, and support help our community grow.