The Family That Loves To Cook…And Eat
I love to watch cooking programmes on television, reading food magazines, celebrity chefs books and then trying to replicate them in my untrained way.
I also enjoy adapting them slightly based on what I have in my cupboards and fridge and to my family’s tastes.
I am 100% untrained and self taught and I’m sure if a trained chef were to watch me then they might wince but I know what I like and I know what my family like.
My tastes in food range from cuisine from the four corners of the earth, to adapted concoctions that only drunken men would like, to homely classics like stews and the timeless Sunday roast.
I will try most things… with the exception of tripe and sheep’s head !
My Christmas dinner and gravy has become the stuff of legend within the family. Nothing gives me more joy and genuine pleasure than watching my family enjoy a meal that I have made and then hear how much they’ve enjoyed it.
As I said earlier I love to watch and read the tv chef stuff. I have a man crush on Jamie Oliver, admire the skills and passion of Gordon Ramsey (but not the angst) and also really enjoy Rick Stein, Heston Blumenthal, Nigel Slater, James Martin and of course Nigella.
All TV chefs are easy viewing for me…except the hairy ones, it must be said! I enjoy the American ones too but get frustrated by how they pronounce some words. Herbs has a ‘H’ clearly at the front !
My love of cooking comes from my love of eating! My dad never cooked in his life. My mum cooked occasionally but what she did was nice. Her Spaghetti Bol was basic but lovely. Her chilli con carne on a Friday night was her classic. My love of Sunday roasts came from her and my paternal grandma, Madge.
These ladies were also home bakers too. Jam tarts, Christmas cakes, treacle tarts, Victoria sponges, birthday buns, flapjack, obviously cornflake buns at Easter.
That’s where my love for baking came from. My sons love to cook, especially Liam who cooks a huge range of weird and wonderful things. I have to google some of the things that he tells me he’s had.
My eldest daughter Mollie, who is 15, loves to bake. She’s great at things like cupcakes and brownies. My youngest daughter Daisy, who is 10 (thinks she is 16), just loves to eat what Mollie has just made!
My wife Emma does cook and has some speciality dishes which we love. For her though it’s about following the recipe to the letter and the ounce.
For me baking is done to an exact recipe, but cooking from a recipe is more a guideline that can be adapted to taste and available ingredients some times.
What I will do is give you the recipes and the methods to create the food that puts smiles on to my families faces. Trust me, there are no Michelin star techniques, no weird and wonderful ingredients and no fine dining foams and drops of sauces.
It’s family favourites to enjoy..