This blog is a collaborative project by Pat Cooney and his granddaughter Rebecca.

Food has always had a central place in our family, and the audio recordings on this blog explore the connections between food, family, cooking and memories.

About Pat

Pat was born in Dundalk, Ireland, in 1927. He married Mary in 1950 and in 1955 moved to the UK, as the manager of a shoe factory. Mary and the couple’s four children, Paddy, Sean, Mary and Claire joined him the following year. Two more children were born in the UK, Anne and Hugh, and the family eventually settled in Enfield, North London.

Mary was an avid cook and never seemed happier than when she was in her kitchen (and it was, she was very clear, her kitchen).

Sadly in 2011, we began to notice problems with Mary’s memory – she would forget who people were, repeat questions she’d just asked and become confused in new surroundings. She was diagnosed with dementia that later year – the same year she and Pat celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. She was admitted to a care home last year.

About two and a half years ago, Mary’s condition had deteriorated to the point where she could no longer cook – and Pat stepped in. To his surprise, at the age of 86, he discovered not only that he could cook, but that he enjoyed it.

These days he can be relied upon for recipe ideas and thrifty tips for ingredient shopping.

About Rebecca

Rebecca is 29 and currently a reporter at charity magazine Third Sector. 

She’s a pescatarian (yes, that’s one of those vegetarians who eats fish. Yes, she knows you think that’s cheating) and inherited her love of cooking from her dad, Paddy, who caught it off Mary. She also enjoys cooking because she likes eating and is a big fan of baking.

She lives in south east London and is rapidly discovering how long it takes to edit a sound file.

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This is Rebecca and Pat talking in 1992. Not much has changed, it’s just now there’s an oven instead of a bench.