Maisy Summer's charming illustrations for a new cookbook that showcases 'creative meals on a budget'

Called Cook & Grow, the collection was written by students om MMU's MetMunch & Nutritional Science course and is part of a project by Haleh Moravej of the MetMUnch & Grow Cafe. "I wanted to capture the fun of cooking and food, and bring their recipes to life with playful illustrations," Maisy tells Creative Boom.

Featuring her usual playful style, created using traditional and digital materials, some of Maisy's work is also "drawn with scissors" where she lets characters and objects "evolve from this handcrafted paper cut process".

Cook & Grow will be sent out digitally to all new freshers to help encourage them to cook and grow. "It showcases all kinds of creative meals that are accessible for any kind of budget," says Haleh Moravej. "Student food poverty is real, and there is a genuine lack of skills and time to cook. There is never a bad time to educate young people about life skills, sustainable diets and nutrition."

This isn't the first time Maisy has worked in publishing. In 2019, the award-winning illustrator was behind two previous publications: one that celebrated the self-publishing community behind book store, Magma; the other on the history of eclectic Manchester music venue, Night and Day. Based at Marketplace Studios in the northern city, she works across publishing, animation, murals, installations, print and pattern, and editorial. Clients include The Sunday Times, Paperchase, Hallmark, Greater Manchester Arts, Manchester School of Art, and Food for Heroes.