Celebrity chef Ian Orr served up a surprise as he joined older people from the Caw Golden Years Luncheon Club project at a special lunch.

The 2013 Chef of the Year Ireland winner yesterday helped dish out a healthy meal of braised steak, creamed potatoes and vegetables as part of the National Lottery’s Old is Gold campaign to celebrate the life-changing difference funding makes to organisations working with the elderly.

Among the happy diners was Ian’s grandmother Iris, who regularly attends activities organized by Caw/Nelson Drive Action Group in the Waterside area of Derry~Londonderry.

The group was awarded £337,835 of National Lottery funding via the Big Lottery Fund in 2013 to help improve the health and social needs of older people in their area.

Ian, who is head chef at Brown’s Restaurant and Champagne Lounge, lent a hand in the kitchen before providing a cooking demonstration to the dining circle.

He said: “It is crucial to eat healthily at all stages of life but particularly when you get older.

However, the Caw Luncheon Club is about so much more than just cooking and eating.

“It helps bring older people together with the vital ingredients of fun and companionship.

And I know how much everyone who attends enjoys taking part – my own granny goes every week!

“It was a pleasure to help out in the kitchen and see the great work of this project which would not be possible without the help of those people who play the National Lottery.”

Linda Watson, co-ordinator of Caw Nelson/Drive Action Group, added: “The Caw Golden Years project offers a number of services and programmes designed to address issues facing people as they get older such as loneliness, isolation, poverty, health issues and community safety.

“We were delighted to have Ian Orr join us at the Luncheon Club today. His food was delicious and his company even better!”

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