Review: Cookfulness: A Therapeutic Approach To Cooking by Ian Taverner  

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Clink Street Publishing; Illustrated edition (29 Oct. 2020)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 154 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1913568792
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1913568795

Create Space For The Happy Stuff!

This cookbook is crammed full of new and innovative ways, hints and tips, designed specifically for people with chronic pain and mental health conditions, by me, a fellow sufferer.

It is all to help you WANT to cook, not have to!

Cooking really can be a therapy. Cooking really can ignite your passions. Cooking really is possible!

If you are having a bad day, I want to make it better. If you are having a better day, I want to make it good. If you are having a good day, I want to make it great. If you are having a great day, good on you!

My Review

Ian Taverner has a chronic pain condition and mental health conditions. He loved music and cooking before his medical conditions stopped him from engaging in them. In this book, he talks about regaining his love of cooking and provides a variety of recipes for people who want to cook while being ill. He has everything from simple poached or boiled eggs to a variety of chillies and salads, smoothies and sauces. The recipes are written for people with limited energy and with coeliac disease. They can be adapted easily for different dietary requirements.

I enjoy cookery books, but quite often they assume energy and time, and a pretty presentation. This book gives suggested preparation times depending on energy levels, and points our key stages that need to be noticed and acted on for successful meal production.

The inclusion of simple basics, like how to boil an egg, is actually not of daft as it might seem. Have you ever been so exhausted and lacking in concentration, or so lethargic, that you can’t even remember how to boil a kettle? Been there, done that. It’s not fun. Actually, I’ve been struggling to eat today, but I’ve managed a couple of poached eggs in a bread roll – I use an electric egg cooker, which is safer and easier for me. Plus, I don’t have a hob.

I discussed this book with my colleagues at Faraway yesterday, and one person pointed out that they’d made mini cookbooks for people they’d supported in the past, with instructions tailored to the client. There is definitely a market for cook books aimed at disabled people, written by people with those conditions. I commend Ian Taverner on his efforts.