Church Leaders Unite To Cook Up Mouth Watering Feast Of Recipes; Celebrity chef to judge entries for charity fundraising church cookbook
Church leaders from across the UK are supporting a fundraising cookbook, which will comprise recipes supplied entirely by them and members of the public.

LEEDS, UK, February 14, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Church leaders from across the UK are supporting a fundraising cookbook, which will comprise recipes supplied entirely by them and members of the public.

Launched by national church insurer Congregational & General, the not-for-profit initiative will encourage cookery enthusiasts to submit original recipes for inclusion in the final publication. It will then be sold to help churches and local charities raise funds for their own causes, as well as making a contribution towards Christian Aid.

The campaign - the first of its kind to unite churches - can also count on the backing of former Ready Steady Cook chef and committed Christian Kevin Woodford - who will take his place on the recipe judging panel.

In addition to support from the Church of England, other church leaders have pledged a recipe for 'Loaves, Fishes & More', including The Presbyterian Church of Wales, The United Reformed Church, Assemblies of God, The Methodist Church, The Salvation Army, Quakers, Scottish Episcopal Church, Church in Wales and Congregational Federation.

Margaret Slater, Marketing Manager at Congregational, said: "With recipes already submitted by several church leaders and more expected, as well as Kevin's backing on the judging panel, I am sure the recipe book will really appeal to amateur home cooks.

"We're looking for innovative and original recipes from people, ranging from brilliant bologneses and cracking calzones to ace apple pies and super souffles."

"We are committed to driving this fundraising scheme, which will not only generate revenue for Christian Aid, but will carry a message about the importance of food at a time of a global shortage. It also gives the opportunity for churches to purchase a unique recipe book and sell on to raise funds for their own causes."

Launching today, cookery enthusiasts can submit their entries online at www.loavesfishesandmore.com or by contacting Congregational & General for a recipe submission form. A judging panel will then shortlist up to 100 recipes to be included alongside those of the church leaders.

Kevin Woodford, added: "I am delighted to offer my support to this campaign. Faith plays an important part in my life and I fully appreciate the importance of helping raise revenue for your local place of worship. Cookery has long been associated with church fundraising activities and we are encouraging people to send in their recipes that can be shared by all.

"Everybody has a view on their favourite dishes, but we want to see entries that show some originality to them - whether that's a secret ingredient in your cottage pie or a special way of baking a Victoria sponge to set it out from the competition."

Sarah Gaskin, Marketing Officer at Christian Aid, concluded: "We are delighted that Congregational & General has chosen to support us through the sale of its new cookbook. The funds raised will contribute towards Christian Aid's ongoing fight against poverty and support us in helping poor communities in over 50 countries around the world."

To submit your entry, please visit www.loavesfishesandmore.com. Closing date for all recipe submissions is Tuesday 31st March, 2009.

For more information on Congregational visit www.congregational.co.uk

ENDS -

Notes to editors
1. Congregational & General is one of the country's most respected insurers of homes and churches with over GBP9 billion household assets and almost GBP5 billion church assets covered in the UK.
2. Based in Bradford, it is wholly-owned by a charitable trust which to date has received over GBP6million for disbursement through grant application to churches and other worthy causes.
3. In addition to issuing policies for over 6,000 places of worship of all denominations, the fastest growing area of its business today is the private homeowner. For more information visit www.shared-values.co.uk
4. Christian Aid is an international development NGO that works in over 50 countries across the world to expose the scandal of poverty, to help in practical ways to root it out from the world and to challenge and change the systems which favour the rich and powerful over the poor and the marginalised. Over a million people, schools, churches and businesses around the UK have contributed to our work since our creation. For more information visit www.christianaid.org.uk

For further information please contact Nick Wood or Adrian Johnson in the Congregational Press Office on 0113 243 1117.
Email nick@lucrecommunications.com; adrian@lucrecommunications.com

Or

For more details about Christian Aid's relationship with Congregational Insurance please call Liora Wulf on 0208 523 2463 or lwulf@christian-aid.org

Press Release Contact Information:

adrian johnson
Lucre
Associate Director
30 park square west
Leeds, w yorks
uk LS1 2PW
Voice: +44 113 243 1117
Website: Visit Our Website