ELDERLY people in County Durham will be taught 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 serve up tasty and affordable meals for their families, using different ingredients and cooking techniques.

The course has been running for the past five weeks around the county and 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'll 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. With up to 20 people on the course at any one time it just goes to disprove the saying that too many cooks spoil the broth."