I have always had an inkling I was a foodie, but only once I came to university and started cooking for myself everyday did I realise quite how obsessed I was. Over the last two and a half years, I have cooked all sorts of things for myself, my friends and my family, gradually expanding my repertoire and my ability. I’ve always loved baking, but when you’re cooking three meals a day for yourself everyday, you learn to love the savoury side of life too, and it becomes more satisfying finding a good dinner than it does a good cake.
Cooking, and eating, are now my favourite bits of the day. Almost as soon as I finish one meal I’m looking forward to the next one, and as a result, I am nearly always hungry. I’ve loved learning exactly how I like to cook, and what I like to eat, and experimenting with how things are done and what combinations of food work best together. It’s been particularly interesting doing this in a somewhat unclean student kitchen, with only a limited budget and utensils – although, if anything, this makes it all the more challenging and interesting.
In December 2013, I became a pescatarian (with the eventual aim of going fully vegetarian) which has presented me with a whole new culinary challenge, but one that I am very excited about. Luckily, living in Manchester, I have access to a wealth of shops selling probably every ingredient you could ever need (especially on a student budget). I’ve never seen so many spices and herbs as on the Curry Mile, and this year I hope to take advantage of that, and stock up my spice rack like never before. Removing meat from my diet gives me a chance to focus even more on the strength of flavours I use, and make sure that I am cooking delicious, healthy and exciting food full of vegetables (and the occasional prawn).
So as to minimise my food-based procrastination, I plan and shop for meals five days in advance, so that I don’t spend hours everyday deciding what to eat and wandering around the shops. Sitting down and deciding exactly what I’m going to eat over the next five days is great; it gives me a chance to look at all the recipes I have and to decide what I really want to eat, as well as ensuring that I only buy the food I need and therefore almost never throw anything away. This is cheap, environmentally friendly and easy.
The purpose of this blog is to give me a space to share my recipes with you, so that you don’t have to think about what you’re going to eat, or can just find some inspiration if you get stuck in a rotation of the same four recipes. I will upload the recipes as and when I can, but on a regular basis, listing the methods and ingredients, and some photos to guide you too, which will hopefully improve as I get the knack of food photography! Some of the recipes are mine, others are from recipe books, whilst some are a combination of the two. Nonetheless, all are relatively quick, easy and cheap.
I’ve never written about food before, or photographed it, so this is a challenge for me, but something that I’ve been thinking about doing for some time (and have been pestered to do for even longer by various loved ones)! I hope you enjoy the recipes, and perhaps even the writing and photography too. Happy eating.
The Peckish Pescatarian 