Food Bloggers Unplugged
This morning I was tagged by the lovely Amy from Amy's Tiny Kitchen to take part in an unplugged questionnaire started by Susan of A Little Heaven on a Plate. The basic idea is to find out a little bit more about the writer behind the blog, what inspires them and perhaps discover some other great food bloggers in the process.
What, or who inspired you to start a blog?
I'd been writing about food online for a few months before this site was born. The original spark was a meal out with some work colleagues at Zushi but as I wrote more it became apparent that my writing needed a proper home.
Who is your foodie inspiration?
I grew up surrounded by fabulous cooks. My maternal grandmother (affectionately known as Nonna) grew up in the South of Italy before moving to Wales with her young family, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge about gnocchi, pizza and fantastic rosemary roasted lamb. My mother continued this cooking at home in a wonderful Cymru-Italian mash-up of meatballs and Welsh cakes. My paternal grandmother was born and raised in South Wales and is a prolific baker who would turn out cakes, loaves and pies every Sunday for the family. Being surrounded by fantastic food, and being a naturally greedy child, it was inevitable that my stomach would become my obsession.
Your greasiest, batter-splattered food/drink book is?
Despite owning a number of cookbooks, I'm actually rubbish at following recipes to the letter. That said, some of the books are quite well thumbed. Feast by Nigella Lawson is my go-to book for chocolate cakes and her Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake is a firm favourite in the office. I also love Supper for a Song by Tamasin Day-Lewis and always use her pizza dough recipe. My favourite at the moment is The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit. Not so much recipe book but a wonderful treasure trove of ideas. I feel completely confident to pick up the most bizarre ingredients knowing this book will guide me in what to eat with it.
Tell us all about the best thing you have ever eaten in another country, where was it, what was it?
An Iskender kebab on the Marmara coast in Turkey - thin slices of hot lamb meat (think good roast dinner not greasy 3am chip shop offering) cooked with a thick tomato sauce and served on a grilled pitta with plenty of cool, sharp yoghurt. You will never drunkenly eat a donner again after having this beauty. I also fell in love with the Tomato Bread in Barcelona. It is so simple but absolutely delicious.
Another food blogger's table you'd like to eat at is?
Ooh a tough one! Babette from Corpulent Capers had me drooling over her descriptions of Caribbean soul food recently. I'd also love to eat at Lesley's Kitchen table as her tweets always have my mouth watering. I'm also really excited about David from I Want to Bake Free opening a tea room in the new year (fingers well and truly crossed!) as I can't wait to try his cakes.
What is the one kitchen gadget you would ask Santa for this year (money no object of course)?
I'd love some proper knives so if anyone fancies splashing some cash then it'd have to be a set of Kin Knives. More realistically I'm hoping to find a deep-fat frier under the tree.
Who taught you how to cook?
Whilst I learnt the basics from my mother and grandmothers it wasn't until I left home and started cooking for myself that I really started cooking properly - a combination of family and Nigel Slater I think!
I'm coming to you for dinner what's your signature dish?
A simple roast chicken stuffed with rosemary and lemon served with garlic and herb roasted potatoes and a large rocket and parmesan salad. For pud it'd be a white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake.
What is your guilty food pleasure?
Tinned hotdogs. And I don't feel remotely guilty!
Reveal something about yourself that others would be surprised to learn?
I won trophies for Irish dancing when I was a kid.
Ok so the next 5 nominees to do this are:
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| Pic courtesy of ALBoHoaP |
I'd been writing about food online for a few months before this site was born. The original spark was a meal out with some work colleagues at Zushi but as I wrote more it became apparent that my writing needed a proper home.
Who is your foodie inspiration?
I grew up surrounded by fabulous cooks. My maternal grandmother (affectionately known as Nonna) grew up in the South of Italy before moving to Wales with her young family, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge about gnocchi, pizza and fantastic rosemary roasted lamb. My mother continued this cooking at home in a wonderful Cymru-Italian mash-up of meatballs and Welsh cakes. My paternal grandmother was born and raised in South Wales and is a prolific baker who would turn out cakes, loaves and pies every Sunday for the family. Being surrounded by fantastic food, and being a naturally greedy child, it was inevitable that my stomach would become my obsession.
Your greasiest, batter-splattered food/drink book is?
Despite owning a number of cookbooks, I'm actually rubbish at following recipes to the letter. That said, some of the books are quite well thumbed. Feast by Nigella Lawson is my go-to book for chocolate cakes and her Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake is a firm favourite in the office. I also love Supper for a Song by Tamasin Day-Lewis and always use her pizza dough recipe. My favourite at the moment is The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit. Not so much recipe book but a wonderful treasure trove of ideas. I feel completely confident to pick up the most bizarre ingredients knowing this book will guide me in what to eat with it.
Tell us all about the best thing you have ever eaten in another country, where was it, what was it?
An Iskender kebab on the Marmara coast in Turkey - thin slices of hot lamb meat (think good roast dinner not greasy 3am chip shop offering) cooked with a thick tomato sauce and served on a grilled pitta with plenty of cool, sharp yoghurt. You will never drunkenly eat a donner again after having this beauty. I also fell in love with the Tomato Bread in Barcelona. It is so simple but absolutely delicious.
Another food blogger's table you'd like to eat at is?
Ooh a tough one! Babette from Corpulent Capers had me drooling over her descriptions of Caribbean soul food recently. I'd also love to eat at Lesley's Kitchen table as her tweets always have my mouth watering. I'm also really excited about David from I Want to Bake Free opening a tea room in the new year (fingers well and truly crossed!) as I can't wait to try his cakes.
What is the one kitchen gadget you would ask Santa for this year (money no object of course)?
I'd love some proper knives so if anyone fancies splashing some cash then it'd have to be a set of Kin Knives. More realistically I'm hoping to find a deep-fat frier under the tree.
Who taught you how to cook?
Whilst I learnt the basics from my mother and grandmothers it wasn't until I left home and started cooking for myself that I really started cooking properly - a combination of family and Nigel Slater I think!
I'm coming to you for dinner what's your signature dish?
A simple roast chicken stuffed with rosemary and lemon served with garlic and herb roasted potatoes and a large rocket and parmesan salad. For pud it'd be a white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake.
What is your guilty food pleasure?
Tinned hotdogs. And I don't feel remotely guilty!
Reveal something about yourself that others would be surprised to learn?
I won trophies for Irish dancing when I was a kid.
Ok so the next 5 nominees to do this are:
- Lesley from Lesley's Kitchen
- Lis from Ode to Cuisine
- Rachel from Food Glorious Foods
- Deri from The Ethical Chef
- Hannah from Love to Dine
Comments
Merry Christmas! x
Hannah @ Love to Dine
http://lovetodine.wordpress.com
Will do this today. Nice idea!
Lis