NZ Mum Releases World’s Easiest Cookbook

31 August 2016

NZ Mum Releases World’s Easiest Cookbook

Wellington mother Jenny McClure is releasing a cookbook she wrote especially for her son and others who struggle with traditional cookbooks.

30-year-old Joe McClure suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was hit by a car while cycling in Cambridge, UK, 17 years ago.

The then 13-year-old spent ten days in an induced coma and underwent major surgery.

“Years later, when he left home to go and live by himself, it soon became clear that standard cookbooks didn’t work for him. I couldn’t believe how crazily complicated they were, and my son really struggled to follow them,” says Jenny McClure.

And so the idea for Short Takes: Making Cooking Simple was born. The book has been released online in Apple iBook format and through Amazon.com.

McClure says it’s “the world’s easiest cookbook.”

“Every recipe in here is foolproof. The book is designed for people who find cooking a hassle and recipes hard to follow: not just those with cognitive difficulties. We all know someone who needs a cookbook like this.”

Short Takes makes extensive use of graphics to represent ingredients, measurements are simple to understand, and the instructions are easy to follow.

The book's broader audience is people who struggle with traditional cookbooks for a variety of reasons, including people who are overly busy or easily distracted, people with no previous cooking experience or the elderly.

McClure hopes the cookbook will give people more independence.

“It brings a tear to my eye to see the satisfaction and pride Joe gets from cooking a meal by himself. I really hope Short Takes can bring that kind of joy and independence to others who have difficulties cooking. Cooking can be incredibly therapeutic and calming but not when recipes are difficult or stressful to make.”

In July, the book received high praise from some of the world’s top neuropsychologists when McClure presented to them as part of a global neuropsychological rehabilitation conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

Although the cookbook forgoes the unnecessary complexity of others, it doesn’t skimp on the most important thing: taste.

“Every recipe in Short Takes is guaranteed delicious,” assures McClure.

“From stuffed mushrooms to spiced strawberries, I’ve tried and tested all of them to present only the best in delicious-yet-simple food that can be made quickly without any headaches.”

Jenny McClure is a Wellington school teacher of English and is passionate about cooking great food, and making it accessible to everyone. She helped develop the New Zealand National Guidelines for the treatment of Head Injury.

Short Takes: Making Cooking Simple is her first book and is self-published.

ENDS.

© Scoop Media