In the first part (Episode 10) of this investigation into the impact food has on our mental health I explored the renaissance fascination with melancholy with Professor Mary Ann Lund and food historian Ken Albala. In Episode 12 I want to find out how gardening and cooking in particular have helped two modern cooks deal with anxiety and depression.

I had a chat with Ami Bouhassane, co-director of the Lee Miller Archives and Farley’s House and Gallery in Sussex. Ami’s grandmother was model, photographer, writer and cook Lee Miller who battled with depression in the later years of her life.

Food writer Kathy Slack reveals how gardening and cooking helped her overcome anxiety and depression in her latest book, Rough Patch.

This is a bumper episode so a bit longer than usual. Full length interviews with both Ami and Kathy will be released later in the year.

Don’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!

Also, I will be speaking at the annual Scottish Food Heritage Symposium on 28 March 2025. You can find more details here.

Useful Links

To see examples of Lee Miller’s photography visit the Lee Miller Archives online.

Farleys House & Gallery and on Instagram

Books on Lee’s work including her cookbook A Life with Food, Friends and Recipes can be found here.

Chloe Edwards of Seven Sisters Spices runs cookery workshops at Farleys often using Lee’s recipes.

You can find out more about Kathy on her website and follow her on Instagram. Kathy has published two books:

* From the Veg Patch: 10 favourite vegetables, 100 simple recipes everyone will love

* Rough Patch: How a Year in the Garden Brought Me Back to Life

* You can find out more about the French Field to Fork Experience 19-23 June 2025 in France that Kathy is involved in here.

Suggested Reading

The Lives of Lee Miller by Antony Penrose

Lee Miller: Photographs by Antony Penrose and Kate Winslet

Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.

A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.

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