My food passion - Where it all began..

I don't recall ever being taught to cook, i just observed how, my nan was a great cook always making something  - her roast dinners were a treat and cakes a pleasure, my mum is a great cook too..so food was always there.

It is my greatest pleasure and although i cant manage to cook in the same way i once did, and my husband LM (lovely man) does much of the actuall cooking now, we make a good team he is Jonnie to my Fanny (go look up the cradocks) - chopping and staying wonderfully patient,as i supervise in a frustrated control freak kind of way on days my body just wont cooperate.

I'm not obsessive about many things, or indeed passionate but food, cooking and people having confidence in the kitchen is one. I would spend my life teaching people if i could, sharing what i know and maybe some of that passion might wear off.

I'm not a foodie in the sense of interesting and unusual ingredients, I'm less adventurous than id like to admit...I count the Hairy Bikers and Tom Kerridge amongst my food heroes along with the late Elsie Worthington (my nan)

I am a good honest Devon farmhouse type of cook, I live on a tight budget we spend about £40 a week between 2 of us sometimes less, add in my illness and the lack of spoons and dexterity i have to be creative.
I can only do that because i have a good grounding and confidence in my ability to know what to do with a shin of beef or 1 limp carrot and an onion.

We were poor in a 70's kind of way, yet we always ate well..I loved cauliflower surprise..little did i realsie then the surprise was what ever mum could afford to put in it, pasties were glorious and maid of honour tarts a delight.

I was thankful for that when i found myself a single parent living on benefits with a small child and more week than money, I fell back on all the aquired knowledge i had, and yet never remembered gaining, Once again im falling back on 40 years of knowledge, cooking and living as thriftily as possible..I did the conveinence foods, threw away uneaten and uncooked food in a wastefull way. Not something im proud if - but there you go.

It makes me so sad to hear people who feel thay cant cook, or dont know where to start..I hope you find some inspiration to try it for yourself..

I aim to add recipes, ideas for adapting and the amount each meal costs to make.

There are some amazing food bloggers out there, and in this time of austerity, rising food costs and a generation where few people just learned to cook like i did - i plan to be part of the food revolution that goes back to foodie basics.

You can live on less, but it takes planning, ideas, a touch of passion and sharing - from joining with others and buying in bulk to making friends with your butcher and not being embarrased to just buying 3 sausages at the meat counter.

I was inspired to finally write this blog post after reading my spoonie food heroine Miss South's excellent article in the observer Eating well on a tight budget

So welcome aboard - check back for some recipes and where to start if your not confident in the kitchen..if you are an experienced cook then do follow Miss South and her Brother Mr North..Fab Foodies