A Recipe of Me - Poetry by Students and Families of Shacklewell Primary School

Aug 25, 2026

A Recipe of Me is a poetry collection created by students and families of Shacklewell Primary School, supported through the Ministry of Stories. The book presents poems as “recipes,” blending humor, love, and imaginative language to celebrate individuality, family connections, and untold stories. A foreword highlights the year-long writing process, the excitement of drafting, and the unique voice the project gave children, while poems throughout the volume invite readers to enjoy an original selection of personal verse.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages43

Reading Time1 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction by Laila Sumpton

A Recipe of Me (poems by students and families)

Abdul 2S

Caleb I 4S

Amelia 6S

Abigail 3S

A Recipe of Poems by students and families of SHACKLEWELL PRIMARY SCHOOL Me First published in Great Britain in 2021 by Ministry of Stories 159 Hoxton Street, London N1 6PJ [ministryofstories.org](ministryofstories.org) This published edition is © Ministry of Stories. The author of each poem has granted permission for his or her work to be included in this book. If you want to adapt, reprint, translate ordo anything else with all or any part of this publication, please contact the Minister for Small Print at the Ministry of Stories. Designed by Edward Cornish Studio Edited by Laila Sumpton With thanks to... The following magnificent Ministry of Stories volunteers: Mara Alperin Anila Arshad-Mehmood Kathrine Bancroft Natasha Blok Becca Chapman Natasha Cheung Hazel Ellis Alex Henson Liam Hogan Katie Mason Maxine Noth Nico Schumann Beate Sonerud Deputy Headteachers at the New Wave Federation of Schools: Colleen Drake Duncan Kilty Cassey Williams Lead Writing Facilitator for Ministry of Stories: Laila Sumpton Education Programme Manager for Ministry of Stories: Holly Gillanders Volunteer and Programme Administrator for Ministry of Stories: Dorothy Cotter Foreword Foreward by Cassey Williams Deputy Head Teacher, Shacklewell Primary School The ‘A Recipe of Me’, ‘A Recipe of Us’ project has been enjoyed by teachers, children and families alike due to the opportunities it has given the children to celebrate what makes them unique. It has given the children a voice and made them feel proud of who they are. Throughout the year we have been diving into stories often forgotten or unheard within our ‘Untold Stories’ project. Working in partnership with Ministry of Stories led to the children being able to share their very own untold stories about their families and provided them with the opportunities to realise all of the connections that they have with one another. The creative writing process engaged everyone. Shacklewell teachers took great delight in seeing even the most reluctant of writers becoming budding poets as they worked through their drafts. It was this excitement from the children that led to a brilliant effort from our families who spent time working on ‘A Recipe of Us’ poems at home too. As you read the poems I am sure you will agree that the choice of language in the poems, the humour and the love expressed is truly wonderful. Shacklewell students and families put so much time and thought into creating this poetry, we hope you enjoy reading this selection. Shacklewell Primary School 1 | Contents | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Introduction by Laila Sumpton | 5 | Rayan 2S
Sulihat 4S | 31
32 | | Abdul 2S | 6 | Aimee 6W | 33 | | Caleb I 4S | 7 | Winston 3S & Family | 34 | | Amelia 6S | 8 | Rizwan 1S | 35 | | Abigail 3S | 9 | Sara 5S | 36 | | Huzaifah 1S | 10 | Sienna 2S | 37 | | Azaliah 5S | 11 | Isabella 4W | 38 | | Jessie 2S | 12 | Aneta 6W & Family | 39 | | Caleb 4S | 13 | Zavyar 3S & Family | 40 | | Amelie 6S | 14 | William 1S | 41 | | Theo 3S | 15 | Sasha 5S & Family | 42 | | Meleksu 1S | 16 | Ensar 2W | 43 | | Ella 5S | 17 | Isobel 4W | 44 | | Marnie 2S | 18 | Asmin 6W | 45 | | Derin 4S | 19 | Louis 3W | 46 | | Ben 6S | 20 | Alryan1W | 47 | | Rizwana 3S | 21 | Tahia 5S | 48 | | Oliver 1S | 22 | George 2W | 49 | | Neveah 2S | 23 | Jayden 4W | 50 | | Erdem 5S | 24 | Charan 6W | 51 | | Jessica 4S | 26 | Iris 3W | 52 | | Helen 6S | 27 | Giorgio 1W | 53 | | Herbie 3S | 28 | Kezia 5W | 54 | | Quincy 1S | 29 | Hasnain 2W | 55 | | Nicholas 5S | 30 | Leina 4W | 56 | 2 A Recipe of Me | Deniz 6W | 57 | | --- | --- | | Miguel 3W | 58 | | Jean 1W | 59 | | Claudia 5W | 60 | | Laima 2W | 61 | | Zanaib 4W | 62 | | Mikel 6W | 63 | | Lark 3W | 64 | | Louis 1W | 65 | | Daphne 5W | 66 | | Julianah 2W | 67 | | Zoe 4W | 68 | | Samantha 6W | 69 | | Callie 3W | 70 | | Olivia 1W | 71 | | George 5W | 72 | | Shiloh 2W | 73 | | Holly 5W | 74 | | Ted 3W | 75 | | Sulaiman 2W | 76

FAQs

What is the theme of “A Recipe of Me” poems?

The poems are framed as “recipes,” using imaginative language to celebrate what makes each student and family unique, and to express love, humor, and connection.

Who contributed to the project and writing process?

Students and families of Shacklewell Primary School wrote the poems, with support from Ministry of Stories volunteers and program staff, as described in the foreword and introduction.

How does the book present the poems to readers?

It organizes a selection of individual poems by student name (sometimes with family references) and includes a reader-focused introduction explaining the purpose and creative approach.

Aug 25, 2026

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