Kirkby Kitchen Cookbook
The Kirkby Kitchen Cookbook (KKCB) was co‑developed to provide practical, culturally relevant, and accessible dietary support for patients living with metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
Designed in partnership with service users at Aintree Hospital Liver Clinics, LJMU registered nutritionists, local healthcare professionals and Kirkby residents the KKCB translates the evidence‑based Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) into realistic, affordable meals rooted in the lived experiences and culinary traditions of communities across Kirkby and wider Merseyside.
The online platform offers simple recipes, clear nutrition guidance, cost‑conscious shopping tips, and step‑by‑step cooking demonstrations, all tailored to address the significant barriers reported by MASLD patients living in areas of socioeconomic deprivation.
Since November 2024, the KKCB website has been routinely shared with patients in Aintree Liver Clinics, offering a personalised, empowering tool to support long‑term behaviour change.
The Mediterranean diet is well-evidenced to be one of the healthiest diets worldwide. The Kirkby cookbook aims to improve the health its users by adapting already loved recipes into the Mediterranean style. By making small changes, you can reap the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, without having to give up the foods you love.
Dr Katie Lane
Senior Lecturer in Food and Nutrition, RISES
Research
The Kirkby Kitchen Cookbook (KKCB) was co‑developed to provide practical, culturally relevant, and accessible dietary support for patients living with metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The need for such a resource is urgent. MASLD, formerly known as non‑alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now the most common chronic liver condition in the UK, with prevalence continuing to rise.
Closely linked with overweight, obesity, and type 2 diabetes (T2D), MASLD is associated with significant morbidity: it has become the second leading indication for liver transplantation, and patients face increased risk of both cardiovascular events (17.05 deaths per 1000 patient‑years) and liver‑related deaths (5.54 per 1000 patient‑years).
The economic burden is substantial, with MASLD patients who also have T2D incurring an additional £768 each in annual healthcare costs. Patients with MASLD also experience a reduced quality of life alongside this broad range of associated metabolic, cardiovascular, and liver-related health conditions.
These challenges are felt most acutely in regions with high levels of deprivation. In the North-West of England, 33% of adults live with overweight and 33% with obesity, rising to nearly three‑quarters in more deprived communities. Premature mortality from MASLD is 6.4 times higher in deprived areas, with Merseyside recording the highest premature MASLD mortality rate in England (1.11 per 100,000 compared with the national rate of 0.47).
With no targeted pharmacological treatment currently available, diet and lifestyle change remain central to management. NICE guidelines recommend adopting the Mediterranean dietary pattern, supported by strong systematic review and meta‑analytic evidence. Yet for many patients, especially those in deprived contexts, practical, financial, cultural, and motivational barriers limit adherence. The KKCB directly addresses these challenges by providing an approachable, locally grounded resource designed with and for the communities most affected.
By aligning robust clinical evidence with real‑world practicality, the KKCB offers an innovative, community‑centred approach to supporting MASLD management and reducing health inequalities across Merseyside.
