With school holidays around the corner, kids across the UK will be spending more time with their grandparents. But is the age-old tradition of baking together fading away? New research shows 46% of grandparents no longer bake or pass down recipes, and 74% of Brits worry family recipes could vanish.
To help preserve these traditions, classic tinned fruit brand, Del Monte is reviving its iconic ‘Man from Del Monte’ campaign – with a twist. They’re launching a nationwide hunt to find the first-ever “Nans from Del Monte,” grandmothers who will share their favourite family recipes for a special one-off cookbook, inspiring the nation to get baking again. Members of the public can nominate themselves or someone they know to be a Nan of Del Monte by visiting freshdelmontefun.com/nan-from-del-monte and entering their details along with a cherished recipe.
Born in Poland, Vera moved to the UK in 1949 when she was 19 following the second world war and has lived there ever since. Vera raised a family of two children, five grandchildren and now three great-grandchildren. A passionate cook, Vera is always eager to discover new recipes and share them with her family. However, her true love has always been baking.
Lisa comments: “I fondly recalls baking with my nanna from a very young age, but the most memorable lesson came at my 9th birthday when she taught me the “9,9,9” cake: 9 parts flour, 9 parts sugar, 9 parts butter, and 6 eggs. You can also add grated orange peel for a bit of zest before it goes into the oven and once baked, you add anything to the top, from chocolate to icing sugar. It’s a recipe that I treasure to this day”.
“My nan has been my biggest baking inspiration, and to this day, I still enjoy baking together and cooking Polish food, keeping our cherished family traditions alive”.
Sybil Louise from Northamptonshire, with her daughter, Nylah
Most weekends, my daughter, Nylah, and I dive into our family tradition – making pancakes with my mum’s special recipe that me and my siblings used to enjoy growing up.
Whenever I make these pancakes with Nylah it takes me back to my childhood days and it’s always a fond memory of us all in the kitchen having a good time cooking and enjoying mums pancakes. I love that I get to bond with her over food and family recipes. Passed down for generations, this recipe isn’t just about the crepes; it’s about the memories we create together.
Sara Amin from London, with her giagiá (grandmother in Greek), Nancy.
Sara was born in Athens, Greece, but moved to London at the age of 9. Every Easter, she would return to Athens to visit her beloved Giagia (grandmother). One of their cherished traditions was baking an array of delicious Greek treats together, with Sara’s favourite being Tsoureki, a traditional sweet yeast bread prepared by Greeks on Holy Thursday and enjoyed on Easter Sunday.
In March of this year, Sara’s giagia, Nancy, passed away. Sara feels incredibly grateful for the special memories they shared and for the treasured family recipes she can now pass down to future generations.
“Baking Tsoureki with my giagia was more than just a family tradition—it was a way of connecting across generations,” says Sara. “I’m so thankful for those memories and the recipes she passed down, which I’ll now be able to share with my own family.”
Research findings also revealed the top favourite classic bakes, with Apple Crumble coming in top:
- Apple crumble / pie
- Victoria sponge
- Brownies
- Cookies / biscuits
- Lemon drizzle cake