Kicking Off

Hi and welcome,

This is my online food diary, in which I hope to keep a record of interesting things I've eaten, places I've gone to to eat those interesting things and possibly a few other bits and pieces along the way. With any luck, it might be a laugh, raise a few eyebrows but at the very least I hope we'll have some fun.

I should say at this point, I'm surprised you are even here, reading this. It is entirely an on-line diary between me and you. You, who will be ostensibly be me as I am the only one who will be reading you. Or me. I think.

Get it? Got it? Good.

Every now and then, with frightening irregularity, I will post food diaries along with a few recipes which I would otherwise forget, but in the meantime, I should say a little about my culinary tendencies and eating history. My mum taught me to cook but I was never what you could describe as an avid culinary adventurer. I became competent in the kitchen at an early age but it took dropping to the depths of my University digs kitchen before I really understood why cooking was so important. Looking back, I must have subconsciously had an understanding that good food was something that had to be sought out, even when all other options are exhausted. I remember living on a single jar of lemongrass paste for a weekend after I had literally eaten everything else in the house. How distressingly middle-class, you might think. Poor lad, just lemongrass to eat? Oh no, how did he cope. However, I have to explain that I went to University in Middlesborough where it's cheaper to buy a takeaway pizza than a bag of spuds and that that jar of lemongrass paste cost me the privilege of eating meat for over two weeks. And I goddam love meat.

It was worth it though. But it should have been my first clue that food, and the pleasure of eating was going to take over my life. I've been hooked ever since, food holds endless interest to me. New flavours, classic combinations or simply seeking out the best in class; I hope it never leaves me.

Well, I'm glad you've decided to come along for the ride. I know I'm going to love it and I hope I can share a little of that with you too.