The Journey begins!

My cooking journey didn’t really start until I left behind my life working with wood, designing and crafting furniture and kitchens. At that point in time I could just about rustle up the most basic recipes with a bit of convenience food thrown in certainly nothing to write home about and funnily enough thats’ exactly where I ended up….right back in a kitchen at the family home in Dorset.

My parents, founders of Middle Piccadilly, had hinted that they needed to lead a quieter life and my journey in wood had apparently come to an end, so naturally I took advantage of the opportunity that had presented itself and as it appeared that a timely change of career was my destiny. It took me awhile to find my feet, after all it’s a very different working environment, think ‘in a the deep end’ and ‘steep learning curve’ with the added pressure of guests to cook for on a daily basis.

We’re talking 1995 so ‘detox’ and ‘rawfood’ were virtually unheard off and as for ‘vegetarian’ in the depths of the Dorset countryside….err what’s that! Undeterred I soldiered on with recipes handed to me by the outgoing chef at the Retreat, ultimately I suppose it gave me the opportunity to embrace the world of cooking and find out if I had any ability at all in that area. Over time I’ve learnt that its a journey that never ends, a passion that grows and needs expression, a lifestyle that I’ve come to love and find so fulfilling on a daily basis…..so this blog is record of my ongoing journey and I hope you enjoy trying some of my recipes or maybe at some point we may meet and you get to try my food here at the Retreat.