Turkey dash with difference led to TV show with Jamie and book deal
A little bit of creative thinking one Christmas quickly became Sarah Wordie’s recipe for success
It is often said that necessity is the mother of invention, and as Sarah Wordie roamed the near-empty supermarket shelves with a culinary disaster looming, inspiration duly struck.
It was Christmas 2016, the medical student was hosting a festive dinner with her flatmates, and they all forgot to buy one essential ingredient – the turkey.
Her desperate solution not only filled the dinner plates that night but was such a hit around the table that it led Sarah to the final six of a Jamie Oliver TV cooking competition and a publishing deal. Her first cookbook launches this week, featuring 60 recipes inspired by that last-minute Christmas dinner. So, what was the culinary creation that has cooked up an unlikely side career for the junior doctor?
“I was in fourth year at uni and we were having a Christmas dinner for 15 friends,” Sarah said. “Late in the afternoon we realised no-one had bought a turkey, so I ran to Tesco and the only thing they had left was turkey mince. We had all the trimmings – pigs in blankets, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce – but I knew I was short of time and needed to make it a one-pot dish. Then I saw the pasta sheets on the shelf and I thought I could layer it up and it would only take an hour to cook.
“We had to explain the situation to everyone but it turned out to be delightful. A disaster turned into a good meal that was enjoyed, and it gave me the idea of starting to layer dishes, which would be quicker and easier to cook. “The next one I came up with was the chicken tikka masalasagne, and it grew arms and legs from there.” Sarah, who works at Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary, had around eight recipes when Covid put a stop to her experiments, her day job taking up all her energy. But when she saw an advert for Jamie Oliver’s The Great Cookbook Challenge the next year, she decided to enter. Going so far on the show resulted in her being approached by an agent and publisher, and with 60 recipes needed for the book, which is called Between The Sheets, she got to work on creating lots of innovative layered dishes.
“Initially, the layers were pasta, but my time on the TV show made me realise the layers could be anything – from pastry and potatoes to shortbread and pancakes. There is a huge spread of what classifies as layers in the book,” said Sarah, who grew up on a farm near Huntly. “I was working in A&E last year and on my days off I would go to the supermarket first thing in the morning and buy enough ingredients to make three dishes a day, and then write up the recipes. It was a juggle; looking back, I don’t know how I did it.” Sarah decided to keep the book deal a secret from family and friends until she had the finished product in her hands as she didn’t want to feel any added pressure, but that made it difficult to explain the many unique meals she was coming up with on a weekly basis.
“I tried to palm them off to friends by inviting them to dinner or inviting myself to their place and taking a dish along. I’d leave them on pals’ doorsteps and slyly try to get feedback. My freezer was jampacked and I was eating layered food for months!”
Sarah looked forward to going home to the farm with a copy of the book once it was printed, but tragedy struck in January when her mum, Margo, died suddenly.
“She didn’t get to know,” Sarah said. “Mum was my inspiration and taught me to cook, so I’m doing this for her now. Mum taught me the basics in the kitchen and would allow me and my siblings to enter local baking competitions. I loved being in the kitchen all through my childhood and teens, and then I had to adapt while I was at uni to survive on a tiny budget. I told my dad and my siblings when I received the first copy and they were delighted, surprised and supportive.”
Sarah says she’s proud to have created a cookbook with food that can be bought from the local supermarket for healthy midweek options, alongside a chapter of more luxurious treats. She already has ideas for further layered dishes, so hopes to be able to write a follow-up should Between The Sheets do well.
With everything from fish and chips lasagne and full English breakfast lasagne to spiced lamb lasagne and chicken quesadilla lasagne, each recipe means something special to Sarah, but she has three favourites.
“The Christmas dinner one, which people are always apprehensive about and then love. There’s a Sunday roast lasagne with layers of Yorkshire puddings which is a nice treat one, as is the Wimbledon lasagne, which is layered with shortbread and has cream, Pimm’s and strawberries. I dedicate that to Andy Murray. My aim is for him to see that one.”
Between the Sheets by Sarah Wordie – published by Murdoch Books – is out on Thursday