I’m a Cook, Writer, Mum and Human-on-the-mend.

From cooking and writing to planting, parenting and healing, I have much to keep me busy. I still write professionally for clients across the globe and love helping people tell their stories. Besides expanding my cooking experiences I still write about the importance of the home cook both to families and to our wider communities.

Post-natal depression left my self-worth in tatters. Cooking was the road map back to myself.

A Life Changing Depression

Cooking has always made me happy because I love feeding people and I’m usually hungry. When severe post-natal depression showed up uninvited, my love of food, my joy and my confidence all disappeared. Cooking would eventually be the roadmap back to myself thanks to a moment of clarity that changed my life.

Part of my treatment included keeping a daily journal of achievements, however small they may have appeared. Every day I wrote down that I had fed my family. Despite the fear and pain and uncertainty I had looked after my babies and fed the whole family. Seeing it in black and white made me realise I was doing something deeply worthwhile. It clarified for me that the family cook is a hero. We get food on the table every day, no matter what, and it’s a massive achievement.

It took years to overcome the physical and mental symptoms that affected my daily life but paying attention to the small wins helped me rebuild my confidence. I didn’t do this alone and my wonderful husband was my ever-present supporter. He believed, when I couldn’t, that I would re-emerge stronger. He suggested I apply for MasterChef as a way of celebrating how far I had come and how cooking helped me find my way. Thank goodness he did because my MasterChef adventure restored a huge part of my confidence and gave me a chance to celebrate my strength.

A New Lease of Life

Today I split my professional time between cooking and writing and still champion the family cook whenever I get the chance. Whomever you cook for at home, I’m here to celebrate you and I hope I can make your life a little easier with my family-cooking recipes.