Making a difference CULINARY CARE
The cookbook designed to help those struggling with bereavement
Heavily impacted by the pandemic, Uk-based charity Cancercare – which extends free therapies to adults and children dealing with cancer and loss – opted to tackle these obstacles by publishing recipes from its volunteers.
‘Most of our work involves seeing people face-to-face, which became impossible,’ charity worker Paul Duncan explains. ‘Many were isolated due to having to shield and were forced to rely on home pharmacy and shopping deliveries. Slots were hard to come by, so we launched a special delivery service that saw our volunteers doing pick-ups of essential medications and groceries. For many, this was a lifeline.
‘But, the eects of covid hit our fundraising capability. The charity relies on public donations for more than 90% of its income, often through mass participation events. These were impossible during the pandemic, so we had to think outside the box. Before Covid, volunteers and clients would bake and cook to raise money, so we knew many of them were skilled in the kitchen. We put a call-out to our sta, volunteers and therapists to submit recipes for a cookbook, called Extra Helpings, to share fond memories of loved ones and explain how they coped with treatment, surgery and side eects.’
One ex-client, Sarah Drake, shared her lemon drizzle cake recipe. She says: ‘In the weeks after my surgery and during six rounds of aggressive chemotherapy, I needed a distraction – something to occupy my tired and scared brain. At the suggestion of my oncology nurse, my husband Simon bought me a stand mixer, which was to become my “chemo carrot”: a treat for after each session of chemo. I baked cakes for my friends, family and the oncology and breast unit team to tell them how thankful I was.’ Pastry chef Kath Jones also contributed her dad’s favourite bake, a bakewell tart, which he enjoyed on his last birthday.
You’ll ind recipes from Masterchef 2019 winner Irini Tzortzoglou in the book, too; she also sold her signed Masterchef apron to raise money at auction. The proits from the book will continue to help anyone who’s struggling and oer some respite through cooking.
We put a call-out for recipes, fond memories of loved ones and for people to explain how they coped with treatment