Food is good for the soul – it provides:
- a creative outlet,
- flexercise for the mind,
- a practical activity,
- a context for thinking,
- a purpose and focus,
- social activity to share with others (even if at a social distance).
Questions you may be asking:
- What matters around food right now?
- How do I make the most of what’s to hand?
- What can I do for myself and share with others?
- How can food nourish body and mind and lift the spirits?
With all that in mind I embarked upon a set of musings that I have called Recipes over Troubled Water – a melding of Simon and Garfunkel’s song “Bridge over Troubled Water” and the 1971 vegetarian cookbook “Recipes for a Small Planet”.
It wasn’t immediately obvious to me that this was what I was doing, but gradually my ideas took on this shape and I found the mojo I needed. I decided to dive in and get something out there. The time is now and it doesn’t need to be exhaustive or perfect, it just needs to be.
So here goes
Recipes are tried and tested ways of doing things, they have a beginning, a middle and an outcome. They (hopefully) result in something edible, enjoyable, nourishing and provide a sense of purpose and achievement. Recipes can provide a helpful way of structuring what we do with food and offer comfort for mind and body – important in times of trouble. You can discover and learn as you go and, as you become confident, they provide a formula that you can either stick to or boldly depart from.
I have been:
- Sharing recipes and tips with friends
- Learning from others’ experiences and experiments
- Re-visiting recipe books already on the shelves
- Absorbing ideas from courses, articles and blogs
- Acquiring new skills and mugging up on food knowledge
In the context of lockdown I’ve been taking comfort in parsnips and red dragons, making use of wild garlic and mashing a few things up.