ELDERLY people in County Durham will be advised how to make healthy meals on a budget during an event next week.

The scheme is being run by Age Concern and aims to help elderly people create tasty and affordable meals using a wide range of ingredients and cooking techniques.

The course has been running for the past five weeks around the county.

The next session will be held at St Mary's Parish Church Hall, in Barnard Castle, on Monday.

Dishes cooked during the last session included cream of tomato soup, corned beef tortilla, lasagne and passion cake with custard.

Mike Bridge, of Age Concern Durham County, said: "When some older people told their families that they were going on a course to learn how to cook, the families, who had obviously benefited from home cooking, had remarked "it will be like teaching grandma to suck eggs", the course however has been a great success.

"It is all too easy for older people to get into a routine of eating processed convenience meals, and, while they may be nutritionally sound, they tend to be more expensive and less tasty than cooking for yourself. The course seems to have rekindled the enthusiasm and fun in cooking in many of the participants. With up to 20 people on the course at any one time, it just goes to disprove that too many cooks spoil the broth."