About Us

I love to cook and eat good food. I have never had any training and although I can cook without a recipe, I lack both the flair and the imagination to create a sumptious meal without the assistance of a cookbook. I am more than happy, however, to amend a recipe to suit my taste or to use up whatever I have in the cupboard at the time.

I live in the market town of Brampton in Cumbria and am married to Mike, who is tolerant of my cookbook obsession and willing to try the variable results with enthusiasm giving me useful and sometimes very direct feedback on my efforts. My son, Andrew, is 18 and just started studying History at Newcastle University. A nervous time for any parent. I am also blessed to have two seal point Siamese cats, Mischief and Smudge who eat my porridge in the morning and have the ability to run between my feet whenever I am carrying anything hot either too or from the oven.

I have recently discovered the benefits of yoga and have been a regular practioner for the last year. It is never too late to start and after working in a high pressure environment for the past 30 years I have found it good for my body and soul.

Besides cooking my other passion is walking and I am lucky to live in Cumbria with the Lake District and Hadrian's Wall on my doorstep. A simple sandwich tastes great when eaten on the top of Cat Bells admiring the steamers as they chug up and down Derwentwater.

I hope you enjoy the 79 Cookbooks on my Shelf.