Natasha MacAller, Wife of Michael Crawford, Releases New Book 'The Apothecary Chef'

Former ballerina and acclaimed author Natasha MacAller, wife of Michael Crawford, has released her third culinary work, The Apothecary Chef. Chapters include Good for the Gut, Everyday Joy, A Sense of Calm, Immunity Boosters, Longevity & Resilience and Breath & Balance, with recipes ranging from rosemary calendula polenta cakes, a moreish allium & wild mushroom galette to peppermint pannacotta and a delectable persimmon pudding topped with homemade maple whip.

A dancer, chef, and storyteller, MacAller invites readers to rediscover the kitchen as an apothecary where creativity, connection and healing are the focus. The guiding principle behind The Apothecary Chef means that rather than treating food merely as sustenance, MacAller restores it to its ancient medicinal role. Through mindful cooking and seasonal living, she translates herbalism’s gentle science into elegant, attainable dishes for modern life. 

“Dance taught me how to listen - to my body, to rhythm, to silence,” she reflects. “Cooking, in its own way, is choreography. Every dish has flow and grace, every ingredient its part to play.”

The Apothecary Chef mirrors that philosophy. Structured like a dance, its chapters move through moods and energies — Restorative, Uplifting, Vital, Joyful, Calm, and Radiant — each celebrating the synergy between taste and wellbeing. 

“The garden is the source of many ingredients,” MacAller says. “Michael is both my biggest fan and my top gardener! When I was a dancer, eating disorders were rife and we used to obsess about food. As a chef I studied to discover the benefits of food at source, fresh and seasonal. Real food. Wellness begins with physical benefit and should bring emotional delight.”

With her lyrical tone and meticulous research, she explores longevity botanicals - turmeric, holy basil, seagreens, yuzu, and echinacea; women’s wellness - nutrition aligned with hormonal balance, mental clarity, and graceful strength; and the alchemy of everyday ingredients – lemon, thyme, rosemary and ginger transformed into tonics for both body and spirit.

“The book suits all cookery levels,” she says. “From simple dishes to multi-ingredients, including ingredients such as teaspoon of basil, thyme, ginger, chili, sesame oil and salt. It may look like a long list, but it isn’t.”

As a colleague of many seasoned professionals and a regular collaborator with others, MacAller has included 39 contributing chefs and lauded culinary medical doctors such as Allan Altschul of The Newt, Nyesha Arrington, April Bloomfield, Pierre Koffmann, David Lebovitz, Peter Gordon, Olia Hercules, Sarah Johnson, Sean Sherman (The Sioux Chef), Ben Shewry, Itamar Srulovich & Sarit Packer of Honey & Co, and Lee Wescott.

The book is published by Kyle Books, part of the Octopus publishing group. The Apothecary Chef is available to purchase at leading bookstores, including Foyles , Hatchards Waterstones and at Amazon. To purchase on Amazon UK click here. To purchase on Amazon US click here.