Family support charity Homestart Tamworth is looking for your treasured family recipes to create a cookbook which will help local families eat well even in these difficult financial times.

The government is sending out four million recipe cards to help people cook healthily, and there is concern that families on a low income sometimes find it hard to eat fresh food.

Homestart is hoping local people will send in their favourite family recipes – the ones the kids always eat – to share ideas and expertise.

The aim is to produce a cookbook filled with tried-and-tested family recipes, with ideas for kids with allergies or veggies, which will be sold cheaply to raise money for Homestart Tamworth.

And it will also include recipes for children to help with, and a bit about the story of the recipe and why it's so good.

 "It's difficult when many of us rely on the supermarket for pizzas, frozen chips and chicken nuggets, and that's fine sometimes, but it's important for all of us that we feel confident in cooking from scratch, too," said organiser Sonya Britton.

"I'm sure lots of us have sort of family favourite recipes that our kids enjoy which we could share which might be a bit more realistic than the TV chefs, and simple family cake and crumble recipes."

If you've seen the little morph-like figures reminding us to get more exercise and eat our 5-a-day fruit and veg, you've already a part of the Change4Life programme.

There's a website which allows people to find out more about healthy eating, either as a family or individuals, and gives ideas for swapping healthy snacks for crisps and chocolate.

The Homestart Legacy Cookbook will include a bit about where the recipe comes from and why their family likes it so much.

If you'd like to contribute a family recipe, send it to Homestart at Phil Dix Centre, Corporation Street, Tamworth, Staffs or phone: 01827 62400 or email homestart.tam@btconnect.com. You can even send a picture and share how much your family enjoyed it.

The closing date is the end of February.

http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life

Sections for the book are:

• Cooking for families
• Healthy eating//snacking
• Cooking for veggies/vegans
• Cooking for allergies
• Baking