A

ccording to

Statistics

New Zealand,

one-person

households are projected

to be the fastest growing

category here in Kiwiland.

In fact, a quick squiz on

the internet and you’ll find

a number of articles from

around the world talking

about the extraordinary

rise of those buttering their

own toast, so to speak.

Sometimes it’s a choice,

and sometimes it’s not.

The latter is the situation Sarah Tuck found

herself in when her relationship of 32 years

ended abruptly. Right around the same time

her youngest son left home. Cue empty rooms

and devastation.

“It was really, really bad,” she says honestly.

And honesty is a big part of why she chose to

write her cookbook Coming Unstuck – recipes

to get you back on track. “I purposely wanted it

to be quite vulnerable because I wanted to say

to people, ‘if you’re going through this shit, I

totally understand.’”

As might be obvious, Sarah is a no-nonsense,

tell-it-like-it-is character, which is why the book

is such a breath of fresh air. “Sometimes bad

things happen – that's just irrefutable truth.

Social media makes you feel like you're obliged

to feel jolly all the time. Life's not like that. Shit

happens to everyone at some stage,” she says.

While she shies away from words such as

“journey”, “mindfulness” and “self-love”,

Sarah is definitely an advocate for living in the

moment. “If you’re going to have a drink, have

it in a pretty glass, if you’re going to cook for

yourself, take five minutes to think about it and

make something really yummy.”

Of course, none of that was particularly

possible when her marriage first broke up.

“I didn’t want to look after myself, I wanted

to lie on the carpet and wail. But after three

months, I did think ‘oh, I’m a bit peckish, what

Sarah shoots all her

food at home and took

a photography course

because she’s a “nerdy

britches perfectionist,”

she says.

DISH 37