YORK-based queen of Malaysian cuisine, Jennie Cook, has told how she experienced first-hand the panic sweeping her homeland following the Sars outbreak.

The celebrity chef and author, who runs Cook's Guesthouse, in Bishopthorpe Road, has also told of the Chinese-inspired dish people there have been cooking up to ward off the killer virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Jennie returned from Malaysia a fortnight ago after travelling there for her mother's funeral. World Health Organisation figures show the country has had five cases of Sars, including two deaths.

She said: "People in Malaysia were pretty relaxed about it, but after the first death people started to panic. I had a cold while I was out there and when I went to the chemist, there were queues of people and the shop had run out of masks. Because I was ill people were apprehensive. I think people are overreacting."

Despite feeling people were overestimating the risk, Jennie bought two masks herself - one to wear at the airport and another on her flight back. She also said that during her stay she had given a wide berth to a group of visitors from China on account of the virus. She said: "When I got back, a lot of people were saying: 'I hope you haven't brought SARS back', but I went to the doctor and was fine. Now I tell people you have got more chance of getting killed by a bus than by something like this." Jennie said that one recipe which was proving popular with those keen to fend off Sars was a mixture of sweet potato, mung beans and brown sugar. The ingredients are boiled up with plenty of water and eaten as a dessert.

Updated: 11:28 Monday, April 28, 2003