I love food and feeling inspired to cook. I was fortunate as a child to be introduced to interesting food by my mum, as she had been by her own mother. Home and holidays are memorable for that reason, from picking winkles from their shells with a pin while on holiday in Brittany to a traditional Sunday Roast dinner at home.
After becoming a mum almost 5 years ago, i initially lost my appetite for spontaneous cooking. The precious time i had to indulge in trying out new things was spoiled by the pressure from child healthcare professionals, parenting Gurus and the latest "do's and don'ts" as to what and how to feed your children. Ideas go in and out of fashion and i was perturbed by the possibility that, if i didn't follow my instincts, my children would become part of an experiment. I regained my confidence once i'd realised there is no prescriptive way to feed your children, and that my children like good food.
My ingredients are usually fresh ones, market or shop bought, sometimes organic and sometimes not, and always free range. I find it easier to be free with my cooking when there is limited choice available, so when we're in France and i'm shopping daily at the local markets where locally grown seasonal produce is all that's available, then there is more likelihood of an inspired recipe. In Chicago, as Secretary of the Merchant Park Community Garden and a plot holder, we have plenty of fresh, organic and extremely local produce to hand for 6 months of the year.
My recipes aren't designed to teach anyone how to cook, i want to share those which my family enjoy, and latterly a series of recipes i've been writing for Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread and Wine.
