About Me
Hi! My name’s Brooke, and I’m the face behind A Home Cook’s Digital Diary. I’m so excited to be starting this new chapter creating food content for you!
Born and raised – and still living – in Auckland, New Zealand. One day I hope to be able to spend more time focusing on my passion… making good food!
Diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 20, this has factored into my cooking big time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed in the kitchen, so I try to adjust my recipes to avoid this. I want to make cooking a fun experience, not a stressful one.
I love to travel (when time and budget allows!), and am very excited as my partner and I are doing 5 weeks in the UK and Europe October 2023. I’m hoping to have a series on here about all the cuisine we try!
My FND Experience and Cooking
In July 2023 I went through a life changing experience. I was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder. It was a real eye opener for what we take for granted while being able bodied. At one point I lost my ability to walk or stand without support. I lost my voice and speech completely, would have intense back spasms, and get aggressive tremors in my right arm and leg.
I had just started getting properly into writing this blog and creating cooking content on TikTok, so my FND definitely put a bump in the road there! I was lucky enough to have a family that supported me, and we set up a cooking station at the dining table with a portable induction cooker. I genuinely believe being able to work around this disability and still be able to cook plays a big role in working through recovery. As well as being able to have a neuro-physiotherapist who specialised in FND – something not many people are in New Zealand.
As I write this in mid-September 2023, I have taken big strides in recovery and am now able to stand and walk without support. I have also regained my voice!
I am proud and grateful to have been able to work hard to get where I am now. Whilst dealing with Functional Neurological Disorder has been a very emotional and difficult time, it’s made me stronger. It has also allowed me time to work on my passion for cooking and sharing my recipes. Let’s call it character development!
