It was after a life-changing event that Annabel Langbein decided she wanted to make a difference.
At age 26, after a catastrophic horse accident that left her badly injured, Annabel wanted to share her passion and knowledge of cooking and food with others.
“I knew I wanted to make a difference. And I realised how much pleasure cooking had given me, and how it was really a simple thing to make me feel useful and successful. And if I could make it an easy door for other people to open, then I could make change,” says Annabel.
Now a celebrity cook and publisher with an impressive 25 cookbooks under her belt, she has well and truly made her mark in the food community. But it is not just all about the food for Annabel, who says she wants to make a difference in other ways.
In December this year the founding member and director of the Sustainability Council of New Zealand will travel to Antarctica.
She was invited to spend a week at Scott Base by Antarctica New Zealand, the government agency that manages New Zealand’s activities in Antarctica and supports world leading science and environmental protection.
“They invited me because I’m really passionate about sustainability, and I’m trying to help people to understand it in a way that’s not scary. There are little things we can all do to make a difference.”
Her effort to be more sustainable is something that has been instilled in her children also. Annabel’s daughter, 23-year-old Rose, now works for a sustainability group called The Social Food Project sourcing ethically produced food to make lunchboxes for university staff and students. Even more impressive is the fact Rose lives completely plastic-free.
“There’s no plastic in Rose’s house. Her generation is really standing up for a plastic-free future,” says Annabel. “I’m trying to do the same.”
For the full exclusive interview with Annabel Langbein see this month’s Australian Women’s Weekly, on sale now.
