Thank you to every single one of you

At a difficult time in her life, school administrator Emily Wood found comfort and friendship in the Good Food Together online community

- PUNTEHA VAN TERHEYDEN

In August 2020, Emily Wood returned from holiday to find a devastating letter on her doorstep - she'd been made redundant. Suddenly, things felt bleak.

'It was my first job in seven years after being a stay-at-home mum to Hugo, now eight, and Martha, six. To lose it felt heartbreaking,' she says.

What followed was a perfect storm of depression, and chronic illness from Emily's endometriosis and fibromyalgia - both painful and incurable.

'I felt low, started having panic attacks, and lost my self-esteem.'Emily, 45, also lost the drive to do the creative things she'd previously enjoyed, like cooking.

'I applied for 21 jobs, had 17 interviews and rejections while undergoing counselling. It was tough. I began wondering what I could do to help myself. I looked at all the things I was good at that didn't make me feel worthless and realised cooking was important to me.

Emily joined the BBC Good Food Together Facebook group. 'I posted my cooking and had an instant show of appreciation. Over time, I shared my personal situation and support flooded in. Others told how they'd had a difficult year too and it made me feel less alone.'

Emily, who is pescatarian, shared her signature dish, crispy paneer, spinach & coconut curry (see p64) and her online friends gave it a go, which gave Emily a lift. But it was more than just sharing recipes.