Not so long ago a "ping" filled the nation's kitchens,
and with it came a slight end to those pastries filled with 'mum's special ingredients'.
In life you see, the fact is that time flies.
We simply feel too tired to cook at the end of the day.
No you may not be called "Ramsey", "Berry", "Oliver", or "Lawson".
But you might be inspired by them to experiment with la comida*.
It starts with the £3.00 spent on veg.
It starts with the chop on the board.
It starts with the sound of the fridge door.
There's so much to learn from
Parsnips boiling,
Potatoes peeling,
or things sizzling.
Not least, you learn more about yourself as a cook.
- Are you someone who moves at a pace, as ingredients come together like drops of water to form a splash of a feast?
- Maybe having a recipe down to perfection means you slam a book shut in celebration, so flour cascades towards the worktop?
- or possibly you go so far from the recipes that they ought to be written in symbols, yet the very entity that is your culinary masterpiece has you grinning like a Cheshire cat?
'Only I know what the secret ingredient is'.
Whatever the kind of cook, the therapeutic
dicing of tomatoes, or whisking of that egg
is universal.
Unpacking and arranging ingredients, with the
warm crinkling of the packets.
Mysterious aromas of garlic and onions,
and others which never quite taste how you'd expect.
Promises to yourself and others
'next time I'll not put so much of this in'.
- All these serve to add to the fun.
Above all else is the pride as you think observe the food-tastic output.
'Just look at what I did'.
Until tomorrow, when you clean.
The non-stick pan gets 'stickier'.
The rice-maker becomes 'inconvenient'.
The spoon is 'damaged' by sauce.
After that Captain Scott like expedition,
You decide to tidy along to the radio.
After all, it'll make the time go much faster.
By Amanda Lynsdale
Notes:- Comida,the Spanish word for food