Grow, Cook, Inspire; Growing and cooking for a healthier mind and planet.
Illustrations by Ruth Craddock
Foreword by Dr James Morton
“Sticky fingers, flour on the floor, muddy feet and hands are all signs of a good time. There are no carefully curated gardens or show home kitchens on my patch, but that makes them more inviting. Through the pages of Grow Cook Inspire I want to invite you into our home and allow you to perfectly, imperfectly, cook and garden along with us. Everyone is welcome.”
Helen’s debut book Grow, Cook, Inspire, will be published in April. The recipes and projects within the book evolved from lockdown to capture a glimmer of light found during a very dark period and has been beautifully illustrated by Glasgow based illustrator Ruth Craddock.
The book is a companion for parents, grandparents, carers, and teachers to share with children. It will empower you to learn together and increase your confidence in the kitchen and garden. It is also a call-to-arms, to highlight that we all have a responsibility to look after our environment. This book will provide the tools and knowledge to allow everyone to play their part, no matter how big or small. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Helen guides you and your children to grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs, whether you're growing from a balcony, in pots or have a garden. I provide top tips, guidance on growing, fun facts and recipes for every ingredient. along with advice on how to prevent food waste.
Both gardening and cooking must not be put on the back burner but looked at through a different lens. Both are a way of finding calm and purpose in an otherwise chaotic, and a sometimes confusing and changing world.
Many can relate to feeling rudderless. You may feel you are stumbling through life in the dark with no direction or agency, but gardening and cooking provide purpose, as well as hope and power. They encourage and cultivate patience, curiosity, kindness, and creativity; essential qualities to explore early on in life. Above all, both our green spaces and our kitchens are playgrounds. They are places where we can learn together but also have fun.
By marrying gardening, cooking, and foraging with children together into one comprehensive book, Helen highlights the importance of reconnecting with nature for the long term.
“Helen’s joyful, inclusive approach to growing and cooking shines from every page of this book. A testament to the restorative power of sowing seeds, stirring a pot of soup or welcoming wildlife into your garden, it’s full of simple but clever ideas that anyone can grow, cook or craft.”