Throughout my life, food has been the defining characteristic.
Beyond the daily rotation of ingestion, whatever work I turn my hand to and regardless of the spills, scrapes or serenity that are littering my personal life, my world always turns once more, unto food.
Starting with the prized lick of the mixing spoon from one of my mother’s cake mixing bowls, a delicacy to be savoured or the secret biscuit barrel at Aunt Mid’s. As a teenage rowing champ my diet consisted of ‘all you can eat’ and no holds barred as the calorific exchange from 12 training sessions a week left no food too energy-laden or out of reach, eating until stuffed was the order of the day. In my late teens, I worked in propped-up hotel bars, restaurants with awkward guests and even more awkward staff, backed by kitchens with alcoholic chefs, flying cookware and ice…