About

Hello,

I am Charlotte, I am 28 and a big cooking fan. I started this blog in May 2012 and I do my best to write a post a week, usually on week-ends. I started this blog when I was living in Brussels (Belgium) and I have now moved to London where I have been living since January 2013.

I am particularly fond of baking though I make attempts at healthy recipes when I feel guilty of all the cake making. I suppose I could be described as a complete cooking schizo, going from chocolate lava cake to vegan beetroot salads! Occasionally, I also like to review good places to eat where I live, or where I have been on holidays.

I am quite into the all-home-made cooking, making my own bread, jams, marmalade, Nutella and various condiments. The simple things that matter! Even more so since I have been living in the UK – no offence but I just can’t find good product for a reasonable price in London!

I believe that we are made of what we eat, quite literally. What we ingest are the bricks that form our body. So quality is key. For example, I would rather eat less meat than buying bad one. I really believe that when you make things from scratch, with high quality ingredients, you end up having a better diet, and your groceries don’t cost you more. For me take-away and ready meals are a no go. I don’t even think it take you much more time to cook for yourself. By the time you go through a take-away menu and bring it back home, you could probably have taken 5 mn to make an omelette, or a simple pasta dish.

I give myself a bit of flex though: no ready meals, but a little help from chopped and frozen herbs, garlic or onions does not hurt, especially on a week night!

When you make things from scratch, you know exactly what you are eating. It is reassuring at a time when food scandals are almost part of every day life. And it also helps you moderate your intake. If I bake a cake, and I used 500 g of butter, it will be much easier for me not to get myself a second piece. I know what it is made of! If I had bought the cake ?… not so much (and if I had bought it in a supermarket, it would probably contain palm oil rather than butter)

I am not vegeterian, vegan, paleo or gluten-free, but  I value the effort people who chose these diets make in order to eat what they believe is best. I like challenges, so I do cook recipes without meat, or any animal products, or gluten etc, because in general they are quite healthy, right?

For myself, I follow my nan’s motto: “Il faut manger de tout, et ne pas se resservir” which means ” You’ve got to eat a bit of everything, and avoid second helpings”. I am not that good on not having second helpings, but I make a point of eating lots of different things. And blogging is a great way to keep challenging myself to stick to it. 

I hope you will enjoy this blog as much as I enjoy writing it! Please comment on the recipes you like (or don’t), it is always motivating to realise that it is not only my mom, dad and sister reading this blog 🙂