A COOKBOOK packed with sizzling recipes could help boost funds for East Oxford hospice Helen and Douglas House.

And children who receive respite care from the charity will taste test the food as part of the book’s creation. The project is currently in the design stages and will feature about 30 recipes centred around family meals of main courses and desserts.

Consultants Oxera are behind the project, which will also feature caterers Oxford Fine Dining, who are cooking all the meals to be photographed for the pages.

The book’s launch is scheduled for April 12 with an event at Oxford Golf Club. Celebrity auctioneer Thomas Plant will be on hand to put items under the hammer and add to the total.

Oxera spokesman Sally-Ann Lyon said: “In November our business support team took part in an away day at Helen and Douglas House Hospice. Part of the day involved being put into teams, coming up with ideas and then presenting them, like in Dragon’s Den. The winning idea was the recipe book that is focused on Helen and Douglas House, and is about family values and the importance of family time. There are a few recipes from Oxera staff and the main collaborators on the book, but in the main they have come from Helen and Douglas House. We’ve managed to get a lot of support from local businesses to help us create the book free of charge, which is excellent.”

The book will cost £5 and 1,000 copies will be printed. For more information, to donate an auction item or offer sponsorship, contact sally-ann.lyon@oxera.com.