Council giving out air fryers to 6,000 pensioners

More than 6,000 pensioners will be given free air fryers in North Lincolnshire, the council has said.

The authority has already delivered more than 1,000, with a further 5,000 due to be sent out over the next few weeks.

One recipient in Scunthorpe said they had not used their oven since the air fryer arrived because it was "marvellous".

The council is funding the cooking equipment from the government's Household Support Fund (HSF), after the winter fuel payment was scrapped for those who do not receive pension credit or other means-tested financial support.

The scheme was announced last year, when pensioners were asked to apply for various energy-efficient cooking appliances.

In addition to air fryers, the council is sending out more than 1,300 slow cookers and nearly 400 one-cup kettles, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Rob Waltham, the council leader, said the cooking appliances would help reduce people's bills and "enable them to cook nutritious, healthy meals."

Analysis has shown that cooking a single batch of food in an air fryer can be significantly cheaper than cooking the same meal using a conventional electric oven.

Frank Cooper, from Scunthorpe, said the appliance had assisted him in creating quick meals, cheaply.

"It's really easy to use and saves on washing up too. I even did crispy roast potatoes for Christmas in it. It's marvellous," he said.

The council is putting on cooking lessons to help people learn how the appliances can be used.

Waltham said: "We will be providing sessions to over 700 older residents who want to know how to use their air fryer efficiently and to learn some new recipes."

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.