About me
I am a British cook in my forties, and for most of my working life I cooked at a pace that left very little room for looking out of the window. I loved the discipline of professional kitchens, until I realised I had started to miss the point of food.
Oak Cottage is my attempt to come back to it. For one year I am living and cooking here, growing what I can, wasting as little as possible and writing down the recipes that earn their place at the table.
Some days are romantic. Some days the slugs win, the bread overproofs and dinner is eggs on toast. I am keeping those days in the record too, because they are usually where the better lessons are hiding.
How I cook now
- Season first, then recipe.
- Use the garden before the shopping list.
- Keep leftovers visible, or they become guilt in a bowl.
- Cook properly, but do not fuss everything to death.
- Let the cottage set the pace when it can.