Developing kidney-friendly recipes in the Kidney Kitchen
Lead in the Kitchen, Deborah Duval
Deborah Duval is Managing Editor at Kidney Care UK, but she is also a kidney patient with many years’ experience of both haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis as well as type 1 diabetes. She has received a simultaneous pancreas and kidney (SPK) transplant, a second kidney and a second pancreas transplant over the past 30 years, so she knows what it feels like to be on the receiving end of diet and lifestyle advice.
It was the difficulty she found at the start of her journey through kidney disease, translating the scientific information she received from kidney dietitians into her domestic environment, that led her to start up the Kidney Kitchen in 2019.
She explains: “I would come home from my hospital appointment with my kidney dietitian and stick my poster telling me what foods I should avoid because I had kidney disease, to the fridge door. I would then open the fridge and still not have a clue what I could cook for my dinner that would keep me as well as possible. I just knew that the only way to fix this disconnect would be to get kidney dietitians and creative, professional chefs together around the table to come up with some fun, colourful and TASTY meals for people like me, who will have live with kidney disease for the rest of our life. Luckily for me Kidney Care UK agreed and supported the creation of the amazing resource that is the Kidney Kitchen.”
Chef Paul Ripley
Chef Ripley comes to us with 35 years’ experience of preparing and cooking good food in top UK restaurants. He was Head Chef at The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, working with Rick Stein, and Head Chef for Nathan Outlaw. Paul also ran his own restaurant, Ripley’s, has appeared on many TV cookery programmes and regularly writes for magazines on the importance of sourcing and using fresh, local, seasonal produce for our meals.
Many of the recipes prepared in the Kidney Kitchen have been developed by Chef Ripley and modified to fit more closely with the needs of people with chronic kidney disease by the British Dietetic Association (BDA) Renal Nutrition Specialist Group (RNG).
Baker and Recipe Developer, Lizzie Morey
Lizzie Morey joined the Kidney Kitchen team in 2020. Lizzie works closely with our team of kidney dietitians to trial recipes and suggest ways to enhance flavours without resorting to added salt. Lizzie is an experienced baker and can be credited for most of the amazing (low potassium) cakes and puddings we create in the Kidney Kitchen.
Kidney dietitians, Angeline Taylor and Amita Godse
Angeline and Amita are kidney dietitians and members of the RNG. The Kidney Kitchen benefits from their many years of experience advising kidney patients on how to eat healthily to protect kidney function and prevent, where possible, the onset of heart disease and diabetes. Their knowledge and understanding of the important role food and drink plays in the life of a kidney patient provides invaluable support to our chefs in the Kidney Kitchen.
Videographer, Hana Backland
Hana is responsible for filming our recipe demonstrations. She enjoys collaborating with chefs to work out how to best visually ‘cover’ dishes so that viewers can understand cooking methods and recreate our delicious food at home. Outside the Kidney Kitchen, Hana is a camera operator, director and lecturer working with community, arts and education groups. Hana would eat Kidney Kitchen shakshuka for breakfast, lunch and dinner if given the chance!
Food photographer, Beth Druce
It is Beth’s task to ensure our delicious meals, cakes and puddings look as great as they taste. Not only is Beth a self-confessed ‘foodie’ herself, but she has helped many professional and celebrity chefs produce their own recipe books. Beth is also a fashion photographer and brings this flair for making everything look wonderful into the kitchen, so that we get the best photographs on our website and in all of our Kidney Kitchen magazines.
Kidney Kitchen administrator, Emma Sanders
It felt like a natural step for the Kidney Kitchen when, having used Emma’s beautiful kitchen for our photo shoots, she joined the team to organise the shoots, the crew and the recipes and ensure our growing list of guest chefs could travel to cook with us. Emma supports the smooth running of the whole Kidney Kitchen operation, including external event planning where the Kidney Kitchen has been asked to attend (like UK Kidney Week and the Young Adult Kidney Group residential weekend), scheduling and making sure the whole team know who needs to turn up, where and when – and what is being cooked!