The Wonderbox Initiative (360G-SCVO-a0gb000000QAHcPAAX)

Have you ever cooked something in a bean bag? Well, the Wonderbox is a heat retention bag (in the shape of a box), made from material and polystyrene balls in which food can be fully cooked at little cost. Basically, a bean bag cooker. Heat Retention Cooking works by bringing food to the boil in an ordinary pot and then placing the pot into an insulated container (the Wonderbox). This keeps the heat in and allows the food to cook over a period of time – it might be simplest to think of a heat retention cooker as an unpowered slow cooker. Testing with a women's group in Glasgow demonstrates that used 2-3 times a week a Wonder Box can save anywhere between a quarter to a third on a user’s electricity or gas spend. One user in Glasgow consistently saves £5-£6 per week on electricity. Wonder Boxes are inherently safe, food won’t stick or burn and there is no risk of fire. Many people experiencing poverty have good cooking skills and know how to make good nutritional choices for their families but the high cost of fuel coupled with inefficient appliances means they rely on microwaves because this is the fastest and therefore lowest cost route. Our aim would be to work with 15-20 people who are struggling with poverty or inequality, through developing the Wonderbox Initiatives in 2-3 support groups, giving them the skills to make the boxes for themselves, the confidence to use them, the encouragement of sharing and trying favourite recipes and the capacity to continue these initiatives within their support groups once our worker has finished. Cooking in a bean bag. Strange, but true. And good for the environment too.