Deborah Ward was born in Yorkshire, England in 1954 and migrated to Australia with her family when she was in first year high school. As a teenager living in Tasmania, she spent most of her non-school time riding horses, going to pony club, feeding chooks, milking Daisy the cow, learning to cook, fixing fences and trying to grow vegetables.
Encouraged by her mother Anne, it was not long before she was making the weekend meals for the family.
Deborah went on to study Botany and Zoology at University of Tasmania, followed by post graduate studies in fish histology. Then followed three years studying haematology and histology at University of Tasmania, School of Medicine, where she met her husband to be, medical student, Martin Ward.
For the last 40 years, she has run their growing medical practice. In her spare time she has pursued her interests in food gardening and cooking.
Since her retirement at the end of 2020, Deborah has found time to concentrate on writing and self-publishing this book, and do lots more gardening, cooking and childminding.