About the FLD!

There are a lot of reasons why people write food blogs.

Mostly it is because they just really love food. That is a good thing. I mean, if you are going to eulogise about something, it is going to be tricky if you don't actually like it.

But there is more to food than just the love of it. For me, here in my little world, food is about family.

Now, I am not talking about blood-family get-togethers like Thanksgiving (a US thing), birthdays or various religious festivities, but the idea that food shared between people creates the idea of family, and it does not need the slightly dodgy ties of blood to make it happen - it just needs a bloody amazing meal and great friends.

This site, this diary, focuses on food and drink - why we like it, what we hate about it and plenty about how to do it.

The recipes are all mine or my twist on something classic and are chosen because I cooked them for someone and the meal was memorable; I am not just bunging up recipes for the hell of it.

The diary is all about my thoughts on food and drink, the culture that surrounds them and the industry that feeds our hunger. It also touches on the political.

What I believe

Let me be straight - I believe we are often ripped off by the food retail industry and mislead by them.

I believe the current obesity epidemic is not a handful of greedy people stuffing their faces with fast food (I am obese I and don't touch fast food) but is the direct result of a culture and retail environment that have lead us to all eat far more than we need.

I am a strong believer that the best quality ingredients, the freshest food and the best tasting produce should be at a price that everyone can afford and not be only within the reach of the top earners. And, conversely, that the rest of us should not be sold crap simply because that is how Tescos, Sainsbury's et al make their dosh for their shareholders.

I also think that it is probably too late to do anything about it, but I will cook the best I can afford and make sure my friends love every bloody mouthful.

So, for good or bad, this is the Food Lover's Diary.

I leave you with a poem I wrote called The Everything Stew. It is about food and freindship.