When one of my best friends at university decided to split her £10 weekly food budget half and half between food and cigarettes, I was horrified – and more importantly, incredibly confused. How anyone could consider the two things as equal was beyond me. I was at a complete loss.
Later, when I realised the difference between my experience of food that of my friend’s, I began to appreciate how incredibly lucky I have been. Thanks to two parents (and extended family) for whom food has always been top of the agenda, I have had a comprehensive food education, full of warmth, love and a formidable arsenal of tips from my favourite cook: my mum.
(Sorry Dad, your roasts are legendary, I’m not belittling them! But more on those later).
So having realised how lucky I’ve been, I have become increasingly determined to share my passion for food and for cooking with others. And in a world where there are some kids who don’t know where their food comes from beyond the supermarket shelves (e.g., ‘fish fingers made from chicken’ – ?!), I think it’s more important than ever to celebrate all food. From freshly picked salads, to hearty home dinners, to fancy (and stupidly ambitious – why did I do this to myself?!) showstoppers, all food deserves a mention.
And so, with much deliberation, encouragement and some truly terrible (brilliant) food puns from my sister in pursuit of the perfect blog title, Food for Fork was born. It will be a labour of love, a journey and a discovery. I hope you can join me for the ride! – Fran
