 |  |  | | | | | The Ben Lee Forget-me-not Cook Book | | | | |
| | Nothing forgotten in tri-lingual cook book
In 2003 Ben Lee died, at the age of 28, of Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD), a complication of bone marrow transplant for chronic myeloid leukaemia.
 Ben, from Magor, Monmouthshire, was in the Bristol Royal Infirmary following the transplant and many of his friends and family visited him there during that time. After losing Ben they vowed to help raise awareness of the disease and help raise funds to continue the vital research for a cure for all blood cancers. Later that year his family set up the Ben Lee Forget Me Not Fund and started fundraising for Leukaemia Research (LR).
Ben’s mother, Penny, wanted to do something a bit different and personal that all their friends and family could contribute towards. Ben was passionate about his Welsh roots and cooking, as are all his family, but with an English mother and both parents now retired in France the idea arose for a tri-lingual cook book. Over the past few years Penny has been collating both traditional and family favourite recipes from friends and relatives around the world. As each recipe has been gathered so has it been painstakingly translated. The book has also been amusingly illustrated with the French cockerel, the English lion and the Welsh dragon.
Penny comments: "“This has been a wonderful project with support from people from all corners of the globe and all walks of life. There are some lovely traditional recipes from all three countries; many have never been written down before as they have been passed from mothers to daughters over the years. I am extremely grateful to all who have contributed and allowed us to put their ‘secrets’ into print. We have strong farming connections within our family and friends and therefore many of the recipes were devised using home produce. It has been wonderful to learn that so many people really value the variety our different cultures offer. People were immensely proud of submitting their recipes. Personally, it is very satisfying to be able to do something so positive for something so worthwhile. I hope everyone enjoys the book and trying some of the recipes.”"
Professor Paul Moss, Professor of Haematology, University of Birmingham, has been a great supporter of the Lee family’s fundraisers over the years. He comments: “Last year we published a paper that shows that a specific molecule is increased in the blood of patients with GvHD. This may give us a lead as to the potential for blocking this pathway as a new treatment. It is therefore vital that we continue to receive funding to research this area. Fundraising initiatives like this cook book enable us to raise the profile of the research and continue to fund valid projects such as this one. It is all greatly appreciated.”
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'Over 100 delicious recipes in five chapters'.
Read highlights from the book here.
The book is priced at £12 per copy plus postage and packing. To order please call Kath Harrison on 020 7269 9091 or email at forgetmenot@lrf.org.uk
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