Every month, multiple sclerosis patient Laura Dudley heads to University Hospital Coventry armed with her copy of BBC Good Food, settles into her favourite chair and prepares for her infusion of medication. There, as the dedicated team of nurses and healthcare assistants settle her in, prepping her canula and administering her therapy, she is surrounded not by patients, but new friends.
The topic of conversation always turns to what’s on the cover of the latest magazine – a convenient way to distract teacher Laura from the needles – and which recipe she’s going to try out next.
“The kitchen has always been my happy place,” Laura says. “When my multiple sclerosis symptoms began, I’d be floored for weeks at a time. It affected my vision, caused pain in my body and intense fatigue. It also meant I couldn’t cook and bake as much as I wanted to, which I found diffcult.
“It took a long time to be diagnosed with MS – an autoimmune disorder affecting
