Introducing Life Kitchen’s ‘Taste & Flavour’ recipe book

We know how hard it is to find something appealing to eat, especially when you have parosmia. So we were delighted to learn about this recipe book written with people with altered smell in mind.

The recipes have been compiled by Ryan Riley and Kimberley Duke of Life Kitchen in Sunderland. Their not-for-profit cookery school works with people whose taste has been affected by cancer or cancer treatment. This book develops their approach for people living with persistent smell loss following Covid-19, following the principles of using the other senses to stimulate enjoyment, touch – or texture – in particular. 

Not just another recipe book – this a collaboration based on scientific research and patient experience. With input from Prof Barry Smith, Dr Duika Burges Watson and friends at Altered Eating, AbScent is delighted to be part of the team to bring this free publication to everyone who yearns to enjoy their food again.

Learn more about experimenting with food in our earlier blogs, and our webinar ‘When food has lost it’s joy’.

From refreshing, cooling snacks to zesty and filling stews, the recipes focus on ingredients to stimulate true taste and different mouth-feel experiences and avoid some of those foods known to be parosmia triggers. Beautifully presented and bursting with colour, the pleasure starts from the first page.

“So welcome to our Taste & Flavour book. In it you’ll find a range of recipes that use ingredient combinations, along with textures and other sensory factors, that we hope will help you derive pleasure from food. We’ve excluded the ingredients we now know most people with Covid don’t fancy. There are delicious snacks, such as Preserved Lemon, Feta & Za’atar Twists, for the days when you don’t feel like a full meal, and dishes such as Sambal Butter Noodles and Mushroom & Blue Cheese Mac ’n’ Cheese for when you do. And because sometimes pleasure comes from sweet things, we’ve finished with treats, such as Apple & Ginger Ice Lollies with Shichimi Togarashi Dip.”

Ryan Riley & Kim Duke, authors.

The book is available in print for UK delivery, or free to download at Life Kitchen.

March 29, 2021