My food story

I've realised I have an obsession with food - cooking it, eating it, sharing it with others. Here's why.......

I grew up surrounded by the best food. Home-cooked, tasty and plenty of it.

Huge vegetable gardens, fruit trees, bee hives and a chook pen were the order of the day. Homemade pasta, free range chicken and eggs (they came from your Granny's backyard), hand-caught seafood, herbs and tropical fruits were on our table long before they were fashionable.

My food obsession may be inherited; the boys and girls on both sides of my family going back a few generations are all great cooks. Cafes and restaurants owned and run by the family also helped me along my food journey.

Obviously my family has had a big food influence on me, but there have been others too. Great and not so great restaurants and cafes, famous and not so famous chefs and cooks, cook books and magazines, fabulous ingredients, travel, friends who cook (or don't cook), and lately a husband and two kids and a new country.

I'm sharing my food story; I need an outlet for my ideas and recipes and I am lucky enough to have the time to devote to this obsession of mine right now.

Nat ate is about just that - what I ate. Here you'll find my original recipes, my adaptations of recipes from others, my favourite ingredients, what's seasonal and what I'm craving (this happens a lot and usually involves salt).

Guten Appetit!