Some people eat to live whereas some live to eat. I come into that,second category, nowadays. I don’t think I have always loved food though some foods I have always loved. Today, my days are punctuated by mealtimes and I am almost always looking forward to the next meal but, not necessarily looking forward to preparing it!

When I was a young mum I subscribed to a cookery book club. Almost every month I would go through the offers and buy another. I remember two in particular. The first was a paperback from a series and contained mostly healthy, nourishing food that could be made for a fairly small amount of money.

There were stews and roasts and desserts galore and I tried out quite a few, though there were a few I never made. I never got close to cooking a meal that contained tripe! No matter how cheap and healthy it is, the inside of a cow’s or sheep’s stomach is a bridge too far!

The second cookery book was a Good Housekeeping publication. It had ‘how to’s’ as well as recipes. How to set a table, how to clean a fish or butterfly a chicken breast, even how to remove a chicken’s bones without taking it apart! There were a lot of things that I didn’t bother with! Also, there was a special section of the book on ‘foreign’ foods of various sorts. I remember, particularly, an American recipe which used corn meal and eggs, and was called Spoon Bread. I made that wonderful concoction more than once! Sadly, I have lost that recipe and, if I still had it, probably wouldn’t make it nowadays, having lost the enthusiasm for cooking after so many long years.

I started cooking meals for the family when I was around 15. Our mother worked full time and often would ask me to make the meal for her, my two sisters and myself. When I was 21 and had had my daughter, I stayed home and cooked for us all almost all the time and went on doing it for those of us who lived with Patty until I met Julian – and then I cooked for Julian, Veronica and myself plus any friends who happened to be there.

In the earlier days I was trying out the stews, pasta with meat sauces, chile con carne, chicken, cauliflower cheese etc. etc. Then, later, Veronica became a vegetarian and I tried to make meals that were meaty but leave meat off her plate. During that period I spent a LOT of time reading the ingredients on packets and tins.That was in the days before vege burgers!

Then came the days after Veronica went to university. I went back to cooking normally for the two of us. Julian’s favourite was my lasagne. I think my version of lasagne wasn’t really very Italian but it was tasty!

Cooking nowadays is a boring chore! I do it because we need to eat, but I always try to cook something that tastes good so that I can look forward to eating it. Most of our meals are simple. We have chicken a couple of times a week, cooked in different ways; we have a couple of fish dishes – usually a white fish and always, salmon; and we have the occasional mince dish which Julian particularly likes. (I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before.)

For the last 4 weeks or so I’ve been on a diet. I’m writing this right now because I was sitting here thinking how hungry I am and thought this would take my mind off thinking about being hungry – and it has worked! (But I’m still hungry!)

Now, down to my favourite foods!

1. Anything Italian – there are many Italian restaurants locally 😄

2. Indian food, though I can’t really eat it in the evening anymore as I get indigestion and can’t sleep. 😢

3. French food (that isn’t tripes aux oignons ☹️)

4. Pastries, cakes, ice cream, custard, donuts, cinnamon buns, pies and cheese – all the things I shouldn’t eat but do from time to time – not all at the same time, I hasten to add! Also, not while I’m on a diet!😩

We go out to eat once a week now. Thanet is full of restaurants and we’ve tried a fair few but we’ve not come close to trying all of them, yet.