1 . Grieve Her Mum Through Cooking

Grief and mourning can be expressed in many ways.     1    . She found comfort through cooking her mother’s recipes in a planner and in turn, learned about her mother. Her attitude to life was mirrored in her cooking.

Along with the love of food and family, her mother, and her grandmother before her, had passed down a carved wooden spoon. It was given from one to the next.     2    . She inherited this spoon and the passion her mother had.

After her mother’s death, Debbie also found the planner containing these detailed dinner party plans and recipes. Her mother was not gone.     3    . And Debbie has learned a lot about her since she began cooking her food.

    4    . In trying to make out her mother’s notes, Debbie has bonded again with her father in shared grief and understanding. Asking Dad who is who, what is what and learning and understanding, Debbie has been able to see a new side of her mother.

Everything Debbie is cooking is inherited, as is the joy and sense of achievement she feels. When she began cooking with her mother as a kid, she was in charge of turning the toast, to stop it catching. Now she is holding the spoon, adding the spices and still looking up from the stove to her mum.     5    .