A mum whose weight spiralled out of control following her nan's death has since lost an incredible six stone using her grandparent's wartime recipes. Dee Wright described her nan's house as her 'sanctuary' during her childhood in Southport.
The 49-year-old said she was bullied in school and started gaining weight, with her grandparent's house providing a safe space where she could relax. As reported by the Liverpool Echo, she explained: “Bursting through the back door into nan’s tiny kitchen, the first thing that hit me was the delicious smell of our tea in the oven. She knew what I liked to eat, and I could tell the moment I walked in that it was my favourite: sausage quiche.
“My nan, Dylys, was gorgeous - a really special person and an important part of my life growing up, especially after my grandad died when I was eight. Every Saturday evening, mum would walk me across the road to stay overnight at nan’s - it was the highlight of my week.
"We’d bake fairy and butterfly cakes, then curl up together in front of the television, eating jelly and ice cream and watching Cilla Black’s Blind Date and Ted Rogers on 3-2-1. Nan talked a lot about her life as a newlywed just after WWII. She’d show me the ration books and explain how she and grandad had to be frugal, especially after my mum, Shelagh, and her brother, Ian, were born.
“Her thing was topping everything with sliced potatoes, and she adored cheese, particularly Red Leicester. Now when I use it as my Healthy Extra and see that lovely orangeness, I always think of her.
“Nan’s house was my ‘sanctuary’, especially in my teenage years, when I first started to gain weight and was bullied at school. I’d take refuge there and comfort myself with her home-cooked food. It’s a great sadness to me that nan never got to meet my daughter, Autumn, or to see my slimming success.”
Dee was working abroad for a popular holiday company in 2005 when her mum called with the heartbreaking news that her nan had cancer. She immediately booked a flight home to help care for her. When her nan sadly passed away, Dee started comfort eating, with her weight rising to 17 stone.
She tried dieting and would lose a stone or two, but would always end up piling the weight back on and found herself trapped in a vicious circle. Shortly after giving birth to daughter Autumn, now 10, Dee and her partner ended their relationship.
After putting her daughter to bed, De would spend her nights on the sofa with family-sized bags of crisps or tubs of ice cream. Her doctors soon voiced their concerns about her weight and she was referred to Slimming World classes.
The weight loss organisation helped Dee put an end to her 'emotional eating habits' and she later became a Slimming World consultant. Now, she is using her experiences and her new-found skills to help others - and couldn't be happier.
Dee said: “As well as new, healthier ways to cook and eat, I learnt to untangle my emotional eating habits. I realised eating was my way of taking myself back to happier times - eating jelly and ice cream with my nan - and that, actually, I didn’t need to eat sweet treats to feel close to her, not when I had these lovely recipes.
“I went on to lose six stone, and although I had a blip in lockdown, I plan to be back at target for my 50th birthday. I know nan would be proud of us - I always tell Autumn ‘Your great nan would have loved you so much’.
“Many times when we’ve been chatting as I’m cooking in the kitchen I’ll say ‘Your Great Nan taught me to make this.’”
Using the knowledge she gained from Slimming World, Dee started adapting her nan's recipes to create comfort food that is still healthy and filling. Dylys loved using lots of butter, which is now gone. Dee has also helped reduce the number of calories in the recipes by trimming any fat off the bacon in her potato bake, replacing butter with a low-calorie spray in the savoury mince and using fat-free natural cottage cheese in her crustless version of her famous quiche.
As a Slimming World consultant, Dee currently runs five sessions in Southport every week. She has also had her nan's adapted recipes published in the Slimming World magazine, with the spread including healthier versions of her nan’s top dishes from the 1940s.
The three meals are: potato and bacon bake; sausage quiche; and savoury mince.
Dee said: “When I joined Slimming World, I never thought I would go on to become a consultant and support other people. Now my recipes are in the Slimming World magazine. They are all inspired by my nan. I am so proud.
“I have had lots of really lovely comments from my Slimming World members and from other Slimming World consultants since the magazine was published, saying it is really nice to see some real comfort food meals in there. It is fantastic to see some of my nan’s favourite dishes being featured.
"My nan’s recipes were from the Second World War, at a time when people were trying to save money. In these current times, with the cost of living crisis we have today, it is also good to provide recipes that save people cash.”
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
