Teresa Cutter’s new cook book is filled with recipes ‘for life’

Bunbury-born Teresa Cutter has launched her new cook book, with 600 pages filled with healthy and affordable recipes.

From beginning her chef’s apprenticeship at the Lord Forrest Hotel in Bunbury, to working in Perth fine-dining, she’s pursued her passion for cooking all way to launching her own company, Healthy Chef Catering + Food in 1996.

Since then, she’s released a whole range of products and cook books, including her 10th book titled Simply Healthy Recipes.

Cutter said she put the emphasis on affordable yet nutritious recipes in her new book, citing the high-costs of grocery shopping nowadays.

“When I’m at the supermarket or I’m at the shops I don’t want to be spending a fortune on groceries,” she said.

“I just want to get one or two things and put them together with three or four ingredients, I don’t need to buy 10, 15, 20 ingredients.

“I keep it really simple, basic structure, basic recipes, but it’s still indulgent, it’s not rabbit food,” Cutter said.

Born and raised Bunbury, Cutter first had her cooking inspiration from her Polish grandparents and families’ kitchen, which she described as “simple, delicious, and nourishing”.

“I think I’m inspired by my great aunt, who’s sadly passed away, but she was a big believer in making things yourself,” she said.

“She was very frugal in how she cooked, simple little things, a bowl of yogurt with some smashed strawberries and a bit of honey, or some leaves from the garden and fresh tomatoes.

“I think we as chefs, or like a lot of chefs, believe you have to use a tonne of ingredients to make a lot of food taste good, but to be honest it sometimes wrecks the food you want to keep,” Cutter said.

The family inspiration is reflected in the workload used to make the books, with her family contributing to the production of her work.

“My beautiful husband Paul actually took all the images in all the cookbooks, which is fantastic, I’m a very lucky girl,” she said.

“We have a beautiful photo for each recipe, that’s really important.

“I think a lot of cook books nowadays they try to skimp on photography, but I think people get more inspired when they see a nice photo of the food,” Cutter said.

Simple Healthy Recipes can be purchased via the healthychef.com or at any quality book store.