Royal Holloway Students Create Sustainable Recipe Videos for Runnymede Residents

A collaboration between the university and council produces 12 videos to promote affordable, healthy, and plant-based cooking.

Generic image of fresh vegetables and ingredients arranged on a wooden counter.
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Generic image of fresh vegetables and ingredients arranged on a wooden counter.

Students from Royal Holloway have collaborated with Runnymede Borough Council to produce a series of 12 recipe videos aimed at encouraging residents to cook affordable, healthy, and sustainable vegan and vegetarian meals.

The initiative, part of the year-long Runnymede Cooks campaign, aims to build confidence in residents cooking plant-based dishes at home. The project brought together the Council, Royal Holloway students, and community cookery experts, providing students with valuable real-world creative project experience.
Media Arts student Taryn Green led the video production, handling filming, editing, and creative direction after the Council approached the university. Following three days of filming with Sally Gerrard from GoodCooks, Taryn created the short recipe videos and social media reels. Fellow students Edward Glasspool assisted with filming, and Adam Rodwell composed original music.
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"It has been a pleasure working with Runnymede Council on the Runnymede Cooks project. Ed and I had a lovely time filming alongside Sally and Georgina, and it was equally enjoyable working with Dan and Adam throughout post-production. I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to contribute to such a meaningful project. As a vegan myself, it was particularly rewarding to help introduce local communities to affordable, accessible recipes that make incorporating more vegetables and plant-based foods into everyday diets easier."

Taryn Green · Media Arts student
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"Council officers really enjoyed working with Taryn, Ed and Adam on the Runnymede Cooks project. They were enthusiastic, professional and showed real dedication to meeting our requirements. We are delighted with the quality of the outputs that they have delivered."

Georgina Pacey · Planning Policy, Infrastructure and Climate Change Manager at the Council
Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, Runnymede Cooks also offers in-person cooking classes. The online videos, which will be shared across the Council’s digital channels, feature recipes ranging from vegan katsu curry to blackberry boost bread and butter pudding, demonstrating that sustainable eating can be simple and affordable.
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"Collaborative projects like Runnymede Cooks provide invaluable experience for our creative students, enabling them to develop their professional skills while producing work with a real purpose and audience. They also demonstrate the importance of our partnership with the Council, and how bringing together student creativity and local expertise can support shared ambitions for environmental sustainability, place-making, belonging, and community engagement."

Roberta Mock · Professor of Creative Industries and Skills at Royal Holloway
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"Working with Royal Holloway students on the Runnymede Cooks campaign has shown the real benefits that can be realised when local organisations come together to deliver shared projects and achieve shared objectives. At Runnymede Borough Council, we are consistently looking for innovative ways to engage residents and deliver positive environmental action, and this partnership has brought fresh perspectives and expertise to the project. It has also created valuable opportunities for students to contribute to a live community-focused programme, helping to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world action. By collaborating in this way, we can create stronger outcomes for our residents while helping to develop the future workforce, contributing to a more sustainable future."

Councillor Don Whyte · Chair of the Environment & Sustainability Committee
This partnership exemplifies the wider collaboration between Runnymede Borough Council and Royal Holloway, combining university talent with council-led projects for community benefit. The students involved have gained professional experience and work to showcase to future employers. Recipes from the campaign will be available on the Council's website, with videos rolling out on social media and digital channels soon.
Based on information from the official source: Runnymede Borough Council (29/10/2026)