There is something therapeutic about cooking and it can ease anxiety

Many people find working in a kitchen deeply therapeutic. Recently we had a conversation with Sindija, a member of our professional catering team. Sindija was prepping some business lunches and doing some content filming at the same time. It was clear to see how relaxed and focused she was. It’s not always a high stress environment when working in a kitchen. Of course at times there are times when it’s show time and service requires a less relaxed atmosphere prehaps! But what we like to focus on at Vhef de la Maison is our teams and our customers wellbeing. Wellness starts in the kitchen, and when we review our own teams wellness we look at the working environment. We require high focus on the products at high speed so how can this be relaxing? How can a kitchen occupation have a positive impact on your wellbeing? Here are some reasons:

• Rhythm and routine: Chopping, stirring, kneading — repetitive actions can bring a calming sense of order.

• Creativity: You get to experiment, express yourself, and create something tangible and satisfying.

• Sensory experience: The smells, sounds, textures, and tastes engage your senses and keep you grounded in the present moment.

• Instant results: Unlike many tasks, cooking gives you a visible, immediate outcome — a finished dish.

• Nurturing: Feeding yourself or others can be an act of care and connection.

• Focus: Cooking requires your attention, which can help quiet racing thoughts and ease anxiety.

Cooking requires your attention, which can help quiet racing thoughts and ease anxiety. This is very true and I personally feel that after a wedding catering service or banquet, I get this feeling. I feel good about myself, I feel energised and my anxieties are eased. It’s a good balance and it’s definitely good for wellbeing “Nathan Higgins, 4th June 2025.

Easing anxiety and focusing on wellbeing is actually a great place to start in the kitchen. At Chef de la Maison we focus on planning menus which source ingredients from no more than 15 miles of our commercial kitchen in Fengate Peterborough. We call it “The Peterborough Plate”. We grow herbs, we use local natural honey, we bake our own breads, sausage rolls, pastries… All of these steps promote sustainability, support community and link to our wellbeing and wellness. Zero refined sugar, handmade and naturally sweetened means your gut microbes core to your body have the nutrients which are beneficiaries of the high quality, chemical free ingredients, which we call “real food”. Prebiotics, gut healthy ingredients and best of all handmade. Fermented products are included in dishes to support your mental and physical health. To align this ethos, it’s important that our catering team at Chef de la Maison has the right culture, the right working environment to work with “good mood food” in mind which means you can focus on your products with high performance without the unnecessary stresses. Easier said than done, but if you are handmaking bread, cakes, savouries and performing high level commercial cooking, you feel it and it does indeed help your wellbeing. It’s satisfying, it’s highly skilled and it makes you feel good!

Best of all, you know your products are delicious and most importantly they are going to have a positive impact on our customers mental and physical health.

Wait! We are not done yet! What about waste management? At Chef de la Maison Peterborough we proudly have worm farms to organically convert our waste egg shells, estimated 250,000 in 2025 already into nutrient rich soil. It’s a part of the 6 inch project which is all about the importance of the top 6 inches of soil. The nutrients, the importance of farming and the soil. How we manage waste is going to be the real feel good factor. Our community garden project at The Grange in Peterborough is another step towards the real feel good food factor. Convert what we don’t use into soil, purchase local, grow local, hand make products and support Peterborough communities. It’s a full circle sustainable food program which we are developing week by week. We are inspired by Lauren Kendrick and Flourish Peterborough and 2 years into this project, it feels great!

Surplus food is network chained via Flourish Peterborough. We support The Light Project who compliantly collect our surplus food to ensure communities enjoy nourishing handmade food with next to zero waste. We volunteer weekly at The Peterborough Soup Kitchen to ensure we support the great community work to support those in need, homeless and disadvantaged.

All connected, here in Peterborough, Chef de la Maison is dedicated towards its gut healthy mission to sustainably produce high performance catering experiences which innovate sustainable practices, flourish events, make positive impacts on mental and physical health and wellbeing and help support communities.

When we say the kitchen can ease anxiety, and support positive impact for wellness and wellbeing we mean it. It’s a deep connected process and an exciting journey to take. Our team at Chef de la Maison are noticeably impacted by the positivity and we believe the nutrious food and positivity will have the same effect on customers and communities.

It’s a very powerful movement and at Chef de la Maison we are very motivated to improve our sustainability and our positive impacts we can have on your wellbeing.