Chef creates Christmas dinner for cancer patients

A chef has come up with a Christmas dinner menu which is aimed specifically at patients who are undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

Jim Fisher had the idea of creating a menu that could be enjoyed by chemotherapy patients after seeing how the treatment completely destroyed his late mother’s appetite, he told British newspaper The Mail on Sunday.

Despite being a lifesaving cancer treatment, chemotherapy comes with an array of unpleasant side effects.

Severe nausea, a loss of appetite and the destruction of taste buds can make cancer patients want to avoid eating at all costs.

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Chemotherapy also puts so much strain on the immune system that it can cause mouth ulcers, turning eating into a very painful experience.

As a result, Jim focused on using fresh ingredients and has tried to incorporate food that boasts healing properties.

“Cancer treatment is so distressing but it dawned on me that there was something I could do,” Jim told The Mail on Sunday.

“And that was to try to make Mum food that would help her maintain her strength and yet still be palatable.

“Often, processed foods can taste metallic so I’d use fresh ingredients. I’d also back off on salt and pepper and avoid overly browning meat and over-reducing sauces because highly flavoured foods are too strong for chemo patients,” he added.

Jim, who has appeared as a contestant on the popular TV cooking show MasterChef, has created dishes such as ‘Cream of Cauliflower Soup’ and ‘Coconut Rice Pudding with Spiced Dried Fruit Compote’.

He continued: “It was a matter of trial and error – if she said something was too hot or too sweet, we’d modify various well-liked recipes. With her help, I created a Christmas menu I hope will be enjoyable for everyone.

“Going through chemo is rotten enough as it is, but it’s often especially bad at Christmas. I hope these recipes make it a merrier and more palatable Christmas for those battling cancer,” Jim said.

To see Jim’s recipes and read more about his story, visit www.mailonline.co.uk/chemorecipes.