On the Menu

One of the head teachers at a local primary school liked to start governors' meetings with 'something positive about the school' from each person present. Never a big fan of 1960s group dynamics theory, I insisted on at least being able to add something negative and something perhaps missing, so as to preserve balance.

For myself, I am somewhat partial to self-criticism so I guess I should remember to preserve balance in that area. Here goes.

I tend to be quite good at following recipes. I particularly succeed when following Delia Smith and Gordon Ramsay, for example. On the other hand, I can often be too hung up on recipes, which means I can be largely unable to think on my feet and thus come up with new meals. Finally, what I don't do but could be better at is to make full use of seasonal and local produce.

These observations aren't set in concrete. I can take something like Sausage Toad in the Hole and create many variations on the basic recipe. That ability comes after a focused effort on my part to learn the recipe by heart, including the niceties of what makes for success (e.g. too much salt can prevent the batter rising). Such focus doesn't come easily to me, but I've proved I can do it.

In essence, then, my wish is to improve my food knowledge and kitchen techniques so that I make better use of what's in the shops when I get there, particularly the plethora of local markets and farm shops.

That is the thinking behind this blog: that in 2011 I will improve in these areas.