I do enjoy cooking. Throwing a load of things together, seeing what happens and then learning from that what works and what doesn't (no different from other creative processes really). I pretty much taught myself to cook partly because my mum was a rubbish cook and my childhood meals consisted of frozen, tinned, and deep fried foods - that and living in a flat for a year with only a microwave and a George Foreman grill forces you to get at least a little bit creative. Glad I now have access to an oven and hob.

A simple tomato-based pasta sauce is one of the most satisfying things you can make from scratch. The first time you make a roast dinner and the gravy actually turns out the way it should makes you feel like a caveman discovering that chicken + fire = tasty.

I can cook...whether it's well or not depends who you are I suppose! I don't know much about seasoning and marinating and all that stuff, but I do cook myself a proper nourishing meal every night. (unless it's leftover night of course!) The food I make works for me but I'd be embarrassed to cook for anyone else until I learn more about cooking.

I loooooove to cook! I look forward to my husband working weekends so I can have "grown up" foods like peppered lamb chops drizzled with a cherry balsamic glaze, served with smashed roasted garlic potatoes. Or taking a chicken breast, slathering some goat cheese on tope and coating it with a mixture of panko and finely chopped macadamia nuts that has been spiced up with cayenne pepper and served with lemon thyme israeli couscous. I even go "simple" with a lightly breaded and then pan fried fish served with a mango gastrique all eaten with a light quinoa and wilted spinach side.

Mmm....dammit I'm hungry now!