Cooking Workshop
Soup for the Soul Cooking Workshop July 2020
Soup for the Soul is the only event of its kind in Australia raising awareness and vital funds to support people affected by Head and Neck Cancer and is held every year from 20-27 July as part of our World Head and Neck Cancer Day activities.
In July 2020 we held our inaugural Soup for the Soul online cooking workshop to help people learn more about nutrition and Head and Neck Cancer.
Watch the workshop and hear former patient Yvonne from Adelaide talk about her journey learning to eat again and how to prepare food from scratch after treatment for Head and Neck Cancer in 2018 and get tips on how to add flavour to food from former MasterChef 2019 contestant, Mandy Hall. Also listen to expert advice about nutrition before, during and after treatment for Head and Neck Cancer from Darcy Jongebloed, a clinical dietitian from the Peter Mac Cancer Centre in Melbourne.
Workshop Recipes
Thank you to Mandy and Yvonne for sharing their soup recipes from the workshop. Download the recipes here:
Mandy's Chicken Miso and Rice Soup
Yvonne's Greek Lemon and Chicken Soup
Workshop Guests
Darcy Jongebloed, Dietitian, Peter Mac Cancer Centre
Darcy Jongebloed is a Clinical Dietitian at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne and has always been interested in food.
“I have always been a huge foodie. My mum instilled in me from a young age the importance of home cooked nutritious meals.
“I work at Peter Mac helping people with head and neck cancer through their treatment including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, and I have a particular interest in helping people manage feeding tubes like PEGS and Nasogastric tubes.
“Being able to eat and drink is something I think many people take for granted. Food is so much more than just energy and nutrients and I always want to help people get back to enjoying food as much as they can. Supporting people over their entire journey of treatment really matters to me.
"I love being able to talk about food all day and working with people to help them stay well nourished and strong before, during and after cancer treatment. Seeing the resilience and what people are capable of when faced with cancer, is truly inspiring.
“Prior to Peter Mac I was a cooking teacher at Jamie’s Ministry of Food in Geelong, working with people of all ages, from diverse backgrounds and with varying cooking capabilities, to encourage them to stay in the kitchen and keep their cooking skills alive!
“I’m very excited to be joining an inspiring group of people in Head and Neck Cancer Australia's Soup for the Soul Online Cooking Segment and look forward to sharing some nutrition tips for people living with Head and Neck Cancer.”
Yvonne McClaren, former Head and Neck Cancer patient, Author and Founder of The Food Manifesto
A yoga and kickboxing addict with a wicked sense of humour and a passion for food, wine and cooking, 54-year-old Yvonne McClaren from Adelaide was living in Vietnam when she returned to Australia to find out she had tonsil cancer in November 2018.
“I don’t think anyone can prepare you for the diagnosis, treatment or recovery as everyone is different in terms of how they react and heal.
"I was the first Head and Neck Cancer patient at Calvary North Adelaide Hospital to receive surgery with the da Vinci®Xi robot, followed by six weeks of chemotherapy and 30 sessions of radiotherapy.
"When I woke after surgery I was in shock. I couldn’t speak or swallow. It was frightening. It was all so foreign to me. The nursing staff were brilliant. “My surgeon, Dr Andrew Foreman, suggested I have a PEG put in my stomach while I healed and transitioned to solid food. It was a good thing I had it put in as it was to be my best friend for the next 15 months."
You can also read Yvonne’s full story here.
Mandy Hall, Former Masterchef Contestant and Author of Love Ferments and Food
When Mandy Hall left a career in media and management 15 years ago, she had one thing firmly on her mind. Food!
“I decided from that day on, my life was always going to revolve around food in some way. And it has. Inspired by the positive impact food had on loved ones, Mandy threw herself into the study of Gastronomy.
“When my son became sick, I became obsessed with things like sourcing produce and sustainability. I would wake up with recipe books lying across my face. I tried new cuisines. I ate dishes I still can’t pronounce and signed up for any cooking course I could find. And as my son got better, I realised my own life had changed too.
“Food brings about human connection. Food makes us smile and encourages sharing and creates an environment for real conversation. I love nothing more than cooking a feast for family and friends. I think that is one of the gifts of food – it creates memories.”
Mandy has become increasingly active in creating recipes and uses for the whole ingredient and is passionate about fermentation and preservation.
Mandy’s achievements over the past 15 years read like a Foodie’s Bucket List. She’s been a Masterchef Contestant, Yoga Teacher, emcee of industry and charity events, consulted to leading producers and filled enough fermenting jars to feed most of Europe.
She’s also become an Ambassador for causes close to her heart, conducted countless workshops and cooking demonstrations, assisted at special dinners, curated exclusive menus and cooked restaurant dinners, and continues to cook and consult at the 2019 Australian Property of The Year – The Longhouse – Daylesford. Mandy regularly works behind the scenes doing research for the Maggie Beer Foundation and is a loud and proud Ambassador and Educator for Foodbank South Australia.
Click here to learn more about Soup for the Soul.
Published: July 2020
