Today I made : Aztec Soup, which is shredded chicken in broth with tomatoes, avocado and roasted chili. This is a simple recipe but it took a while because I had to joint a whole chicken, deep fry tortilla chips and roast chilies. Some people can joint chickens in two minutes. If one day I can do it in less than five I will be happy. 

I made Parmesan and Gruyere Soufflés. (I needed to tick the soufflé box on my technique sheet.) These deflate soon after coming out of the oven so I passed them around the kitchen as snacks. They were intensely cheesy, and not beautiful but a decent first attempt.

I also started a creme brûlée. The custard base needs to rest for at least 12 hours before caramel is added so I will return to these later.

Finally I baked a loaf of sourdough bread. I started this over the weekend and let it ferment until today.  It looks like athlete’s foot but tastes gorgeous and is very nutritious.

Tonight there was a Slow Food educational evening. Food journalist Joanna Blythman spoke about ‘The Big Food Lie.’ The lie is that we don’t need to cook for ourselves because  the food industry can do it for us. As Joanna said ‘The industry has a vested interest in selling us processed food rather than ingredients because it allows them to add value and increase the price. Processed food is a licence to print money.”

By cooking and avoiding processed foods you can stop them from conning you! Joanna believes there is a notion that successful people don’t have time to cook but this is part of the lie. Being informed about what you eat grants personal sovereignty.

I learned : Packaged fruit salads are usually dipped in bleach to extend the shelf life.

Monkfish have two layers of skin.

Food of the day : Thai chicken, galangal and coriander soup.

Line of the day : From Joanna Blythman. “Life is too precious to waste on bad food.”

Órfhlaith