Close Connections: Julia Adamson – cooking sparked my Lexie’s passion

“That’s why I sat Lexie in a high chair when she was a baby and gave her a little of whatever I was cooking, be it pastry or cookie dough or vegetables, so she could strengthen her grip and explore the different textures. Her interest in food took on a life of its own after that,’ says Julia.

Cooking became a key developmental tool for Lexie. Julia says, “It’s got everything: reading for meaning, structuring and ordering instructions, doing something practical with purpose. It opened up her early years learning experience and we’ve never stopped.

“We read Nosh recipe books together, watch food programmes by Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, talk about what Lexie’s had to eat today and what we’ll be cooking tonight or need to put on the shopping list.”

Lexie’s passion for food brings important well-being benefits for her, too. Julia says, “Maintaining a healthy diet is important for those with Down’s Syndrome, especially for good gut health and immunity. It’s reassuring for me that Lexie is growing these essential skills that will help her keep herself well.

“Having a child with additional needs is a challenge – there’s no getting away from that. Having an activity like this that connects you and enables your child to progress into adulthood, get training and employment, and eventually live semi-independently is great.

“Cooking has opened up Lexie’s personality, too, as she’s quite a shy person naturally. But when she’s in the kitchen, she really comes alive.”

Julia adds, “Confidence gained from cooking seeps into other areas of Lexie’s life. She excelled at a spoken English GCSE exam with a poem called ‘Spaghetti Bolognese’, her favourite food.”

Lexie is now completing an NVQ in hospitality and catering at a specialist college, which includes working in a local hotel. Julia says, “It makes me so proud to see Lexie’s independence and skills growing. She’s someone her younger sisters Olivia, 18, and Bertie, 11, look up to, and that’s special for my husband Gary and me.

“Lexie’s cooking brings the whole family together – Bertie talks about being a chef like her big sister. Olivia makes an amazing chocolate roulade for us now and we all put time into creating big birthday cakes for Bertie.”

During the pandemic, cooking became a way for Julia to help Lexie expand her home learning and stay connected with loved ones. “We set up a Facebook group to keep in touch with friends and family. It’s a space for swapping recipes and keeping busy. It naturally evolved into a website (lexiecooks.com) and became a place where Lexie and I could create easy-to-follow recipes for our favourite dishes and foods.

“Soon, people we didn’t know were submitting recipes to us, including handwritten recipes from their grandparents. It was really special being a part of that. We had so much fun trying them out together – Jazz’s buttery dhal, Jack’s cheesy mushroom pasta, Malcolm’s carbonara. Lexie opens up when she’s cooking and it’s lovely to see her in her element.”

Lexie was contacted by Turning Heads, a community group that helps young families supporting loved ones with disabilities, to see if she could provide some recipes for them. It led to a series of video tutorials and a YouTube channel (search ‘LexieCooks’ on YouTube).

Lexie also enjoys adapting recipes to suit her younger sister Olivia, who’s vegetarian. “I swap mince for lentils in spaghetti bolognese and make a cheesy mushroom pasta,” she explains. “I want to have a café with my mum.”

It’s a dream Julia shares. “Cooking is a way to show people you love them. My family ran a fish and chip shop from the late 1890s, so this is in our blood. I’d love to have a café with Lexie one day. She’s a better chef than me – the perfect partner!”

This feature originally appeared in Good Food Magazine, October 2021.