About & Contact

Hayley Dhanecha of J Cooking Odyssey formally Jagruti’s Cooking Odyssey

Hi I’m Hayley and welcome to J Cooking Odyssey!  It’s lovely to have you here.

About Me

I am currently a Junior Doctor balancing work with catching up on the latest boxset. I’m a 90’s kid born in London with an Indian and East-African Indian heritage. This British Asian background heavily influences my everyday cooking and thus the recipes on the blog.

I was introduced into cooking, as many are, by my mum (whose name not so coincidentally is Jagruti). I spent a good portion of my childhood watching my mum cook beautiful dishes. I even created a dinner-time game as a 7 year old whereby I was a waitress at a restaurant called “Hayley’s Mum’s Brilliant Restaurant”. I would walk around the house serving my other family members and stuffed toys! I so wish I had the photographs to show you all.

As I became more involved cooking for the family in my spare time, I eventually gained an appreciation for the various ingredients that my mum would use.

My mum herself learned a lot about cooking from a young age. Her curiosity of food lead her to learn authentic recipes from those around her. My grandmothers also both contributed their own styles – one with a Rajasthani/Gujarati background and the other East-African Gujarati!

With all this enthusiasm for food and generations of recipes, JCO was created in 2010 by my mum as her hobby as she was eager to share the recipes and knowledge of food she had gained over the years. Now, I am taking the reigns and am forming my own culinary diary.

About JCO

If you are looking for true recipes and have a story or anecdote behind them, then this blog is perfect for you to explore.

At JCO, you will not be restricted to a certain type of recipe. You will find pure vegetarian and vegan food that spans across global cuisine. Some recipes are healthy, some are for those indulgent special occasions. Recipes range from easy and quick to those requiring a little more love and attention.

Some recipes are authentic, staying true to the traditional methods of cooking. In particular, our Gujarati recipes will always be made using the proper ingredients and techniques. Thanks to my Dad’s East-African Indian roots, I’ve savoured many plates of piping hot Mogo chips!

We also love our fusion recipes at JCO, thanks to a solid British upbringing. I am passionate about flavours and often the most exciting dishes created are those that celebrate two cuisines at the same time.

I hope that by reading the blog, you are also inspired to get into the kitchen and enjoy creating wonderful meals.

Working with JCO

At JCO, we love partnering with brands to develop delicious recipes that reflects our brand and yours.

Please see Work With Me for further information

Contact

If you have a specific question about recipes that I have posted or for any other comments, inquiries, feedback or questions, please contact me via email or social media.

JCO is ultimately a diary of my journey as a foodie but also a way to inspire our readers about food. I love seeing your creations of our recipes so please share them with us! Share over email, Facebook or Instagram using #jcookingodyssey

Contact: jagrutiscookingodyssey[at]gmail[dot]com or head over to our Instagram

Like the sound of what you read? Subscribe to our email updates today

Copyright Notice

All the images, text and content on this blog, unless otherwise stated are copyright. Please contact me before usage permission.

Thank you for visiting JCO!

Hayley x