Today, April 18, 2023, Lyndey Milan showed viewers how to prepare more ‘Comfort Food for Grief’ on Channel 7’s The Morning Show, as we explained the mission of Good Grief! and the role good and healthy food plays in helping the grieving.
In this occasional series Lyndey, Australian cooking and media personality, shares ‘Comfort Food for Grief’ – wholesome ideas for special foods to comfort you or those you love, during difficult emotional times.
When we met it was immediately clear there was a strong connection between our missions. Lyndey is passionate about food – and the way it brings people together – for the better. Margaret is passionate about providing comfort for those who are grieving.
How wonderful to be able to bring these two ideas together, wrapping grief in the practical support that food brings to this very human experience, which we all have to go through.
This comfort food – a slice – is easy and versatile.
Sometimes the comfort food for grief we need are not those to feed ourselves – but those we’d like to have at our finger-tips to offer others.
“People tend to drop in when you’ve lost someone. Having a slice on hand, it can be cut small or large and is there ready at a moment’s notice,” says Lyndey.
And when we’re the person who calls in, we can offer comfort by leaving food we know can be shared. So when words fail us or we’re anxious about disturbing the bereaved, we can be secure in the knowledge we left something positive.
“Arriving on the doorstep with a slice or a cake speaks volumes,” says Lyndey.
“Arriving on the doorstep with a slice or a cake speaks volumes,” says Lyndey.
“The recipient can invite you in if they feel up to it, or you can just give them a hug and pass your gift over. Either way, it will speak to them after you have gone.”
Margaret remembers the power of this very well: “When we gathered at my brother’s home to mourn his sudden death in country NSW just outside Tamworth, this simple gesture created a comforting and powerful daisy-chain of human connection.
“We felt first-hand the power of this tradition, still very much alive in the country. As someone dropped in bringing food, we were able to offer them the slice that someone else had dropped just before,” she says.
Of course there’s no rule that says we have to offer food when people come to support us while we’re grieving. If that’s written in a book somewhere, chuck that book out!
Because of all the times in our lives, this is the one when we don’t have to reply, don’t have to respond, don’t have to observe the social niceties.
Vanilla is the essence of the comfort food
Lyndey’s recipe calls for a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste.
“There is something very comforting about vanilla,” says Lyndey.
Who else cleans their fridge with a touch of vanilla essence for that very reason?
“It can remind us of our grandma, of a time we felt safe and secure. The aroma has been shown to reduce anxiety and vanilla drops are sometimes recommended for sleep,” she says.
“Little wonder it’s the world’s favourite scent across many cultures – as determined by scientists from Oxford University and the Karolinksa Institute in Stockholm,” she adds.
Lyndey Milan’s Spiced Apple and Raspberry Slice
To see Lyndey’s recipe for Spiced Apple and Raspberry Slice, go to:
http://www.lyndeymilan.com/avada_portfolio/spiced-apple-raspberry-slice/
See the first in our Comfort Foods for Grief series at:
https://good-grief.com.au/comfort-food-for-grief-lyndey-shares-her-special-recipe-for-shepherds-pie/
Catch Lyndey’s latest newsletter Good Greek Times at:
https://www.lyndeymilan.com/good-greek-times-23-september-2022/
We are always learning!