I'm not a chef. I don't own a restaurant or a cafe, I don't even work in the industry. I am a passionate home cook and have been since I can remember.

This ‘About me’ was written in 2010…fast forward to 2024, a lot has changed. The biggest and most important change is my daughter, Pearl who is now 12 years old. She seems to have caught the cooking bug and has convinced me to republish this blog, the old recipes, some new ones and she has promised to share some of her own!

2010

I started off delighting my family with mud and sultana cakes made on our deck in the sun I then graduated to assisting my godmother with her cooking classes - Cordon Bleu for Kids, my teenage years bought party food for my friends and I haven't stopped cooking since...

I cook when I'm happy because I'm inspired to feed the people I love, I cook when I'm stressed as it has a cathartic affect (particularly chopping) and I cook when I'm sad as it allows me to be with my sadness.

My mind is always bubbling with ideas, what will I cook tonight, this week, who can I have for dinner on the weekend and what will I cook for them. Even thinking of cooking and the possibilities gives me a little boost of energy and enthusiasm...

I am constantly fueled by the talented people around me, my Mum is a brilliant cook and an outstanding gardener who grows everything from asparagus to rhubarb, my godmother spent many years living in Paris - her passion for food and her delicious dinners always egg me on...my Auntie Julie is also a fabulous foodie and even in Italy I was unable to find a lasagna to rival hers....

For many years my friends and work colleagues have asked me for my recipes..."can you email me the recipe for the sweet potato salad you bought to the BBQ on sat"...."its about those sausage rolls"...."do you have a recipe for those chicken sandwiches?".... so instead of emailing the recipes again and again, I have decided to 'Share the Recipe Love' via this blog....

Many of the recipes I will feature are not entirely my own, some are from family and friends and some adapted from books - I will attribute the source in my notes...what they all are however is tried and tested and constantly requested!

I also have a keen interest in nutrition and again although I am not trained or in the industry, I have a library that would impress a natropath or dietitian (and I have read them all :)...I believe you are what you digest and food can heal so you may find a few nutritional bites dotted throughout my blog.

Ingredients are everything and using in season produce is the way we should all cook and eat and while you're at it, make it organic! If you are to be nourished by food then make it the best you can afford, it will serve you well...

Anyway, enough about me. I hope you will try these recipes, give me feedback and please Share the Recipe Love with colleagues, friends and family...