One of our residents, Louise Wheeler, has used her love of cooking to create a recipe book full of delicious, low-cost meals.
The recipes were inspired from using cooking and feeding her family to help her through her treatment for breast cancer.
Louise was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. She underwent a double mastectomy before months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
“I am through it now,” she says. “But when you lose your breasts it knocks your confidence and I felt worthless. My only way of showing the world I was still me was to knuckle down and make sure everyone had a meal and was fed and comfortable. I’ve always been like this.”
Louise has always been able to make meals on a budget. She started off as a pot washer in a school, before building her way up to Head Chef at the school, in charge of two units, and then moving on to a job as a Chef in a private residential home.
“I was living on a low income, but I wanted to provide my children with a balanced diet,” she says. “I always had to think of what I could make that would be nutritious out of what I had in the cupboards.
“Going through cancer treatment, struggling financially and attending food banks made me realise there were so many people out there that didn’t know what to do with the food they got or how to make a meal out of what they were given.
“As I was working in catering, I decided to jot down some recipes that would be nice and easy for people to use. That’s what made me start the recipe book.
“I thought: I’m going through this, there must be other people in similar situations that need help with budgeting and what they’re going to use their food bags for.”
This isn’t the first time Louise has dedicated her time to supporting others in the community. Before her cancer treatment, she was part of a group from her local Baptist church who set up an outreach programme for single mums. The programme helped them to declutter their homes and teach them three basic meals each.
“I’ve always wanted to help others,” she says. “I’m asking everyone who has a copy of the recipe book to pass it on to three others who may need it. I’d love for foodbanks or food charities to give them out to people too.
“I hope everyone enjoys the recipes. They’re not just for people who get food from food banks; it’s for anyone who needs help with low-cost meals.”
You can download a copy of the recipe book here.
