Let Me Tell You A Story

A long time ago in a kitchen far away, tucked into a corner of North County Dublin there lived a woman who didn’t know what she was going to do with her life. Nearly 8 years ago now, she waited for her first born son to arrive, and rubbed the curve of her belly, and wondered how things were going to be when she went back to work after having her first baby.

She worked in an office in the City Centre you see, as a PA for a property company, which was as far apart from food blogging as you could imagine.

It seems like a lifetime ago now, which it is in many ways, because the arrival of my eldest heralded so many changes in my life, most (but not all) of them welcome.

I never dared to believe that I’d be able to manage being at home with my children and working full time. Yet here I am, with a job that is massively rewarding, hectic, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Have you ever wondered what I do with my day? The picture above is a collage of just some of the beautiful recipes I developed, styled, and shot (took pictures of) for a client recently. Recipe development this Summer has taken on an extra layer of challenge as I’m not able to eat very much at the moment due to illness, but I have a dedicated group of helpers who are more than willing to give me honest feedback. There are none more candid with their opinions than my family!

All of this work was done in my little kitchen in North Dublin, with children barrelling in and out, phones going, housework to be done. Well actually, let’s not mention the housework, it’s normally the last thing that gets attended to! The beauty of developing recipes in a home kitchen is that if I can follow a recipe with so many distractions, then others can too.

I still get a feeling of wonderment when I look at where I am, and what I do, all because I started a blog.

Blogging about living on a budget, gave me a voice online, and led to an incredible chance to write (style and shoot) my first cookbook. Wholesome – Feed Your Family Well For Less if you’re wondering.

Ultimately, blogging has led to so many opportunities that I could never have dreamed of 8 years ago.

This week the blog has made it to the shortlist of the Irish Blog Awards in two categories: Lifestyle and Food & Drink, which is pretty awesome if you ask me.

The biggest reward though is that people keep on reading the blog and trying my recipes. That’s what it’s all about. The pictures and feedback on the recipes I develop or the money saving tips that have come to fruition – these are priceless and mean the world to me.

If you fancy voting for my blog please click this link.

Thank you for all your support through the  years. Without you, awesome reader, I wouldn’t where I am today.