I'M BACK

After not being on here for nearly over a year I feel I have completely neglected the blog. However, one thing I can say is that I have been non-stop cooking all year and I've loved it. Here is a little update to what's been going on and hopefully their is a lot more to come from Annabel's Kitchen.

October 2017 - I set off down to London with the very intimidating job title of 'Private Family Cook' and that exactly what I was. Cooking every meal was so rewarding, especially when I come across real family favourite which would always be a success with the children. It was definitely chaotic but incredibly worth while. Running up to the festive period I was catering dinner parties, Christmas drinks and making enough mince pies and chocolate covered walnuts to supply all of Father Christmas' elves..... of course there was a fair amount of sampling going on from me and the children. That job carried on until the end of April 2018 when all the children were back at school and I was very excited to be heading back to the beautiful lake district.

After London my summer has been a complete whirl wind of continuous cooking and entertaining.

May 2018 - Yet another job that I was starting without much of a clue to what I would be doing. I ended up in the Algarve cooking in the most amazing looking Villas I have ever seen. It was such a treat to cook there as all the fruit was so amazingly ripe and the sea food and meat was just divine! So fresh and delicious that everything that was cooked was tasting delicious. I definitely have now got the skills of how to execute the perfect BBQ and I found out that there are many more things to go on a BBQ then just burgers and sausages. I cooked them nearly every lunch time for my clients and it was so much fun to mix up the meats and flavours that were being cooked and the amazing range of salads to accompany it all. However, it was a lot to adjust to ut like most things in life, once you've done it once you just get into the routine of doing it everyday and finding quicker and more efficient ways of doing things. Overall it was an amazing experience and I learnt so much.

July 2018 - I had a quick pit stop off back in London between all my crazy busy cooking and I worked at Wimbledon for the two weeks that he Tennis was on. I was expecting this to be a bit more like down time between all the madness but actually it turned out to be as crazy as everything else. London was 30 degrees everyday so waitressing in a big marquee was quite the hot experience. But also a great amount of fun!

July 2018 - The end of July rolled around and there I was packing up my little MINI ready to head up the to West Coast of Scotland, I found myself on a tiny little island. It was an absolute adventure to get there, I should of invested in more of an off road vehicle before attempting this trip! The reason I was going was that I was cooking for a family and their friends in their Scottish home for 3 weeks. It was fully of lots of children and lots of amazing outdoor activities. The food was so much fun to cook because there was such variation from delicious yummy children's food to a 3 course meal for all the adults in the evening, and of course, plenty of snacks throughout the day. As we were so close to the sea there was plenty of seafood being cooked. I had never cooked lobster and crab before but I can now say that I know exactly what to do if I am faced it that challenge again.

August 2018 - This was my last job of my crazy summer and I couldn't wait! Down a very long track in the valley I found myself at a gorgeous old shooting lodge near Blair Atholl. I was cooking for 21-23 people throughout the week and they were outside, shooting, fishing or stalking all day long so when they came back in they were always so hungry. They always started the day with a cooked breakfast, varying the meats and eggs each day. They made up their packed lunch and headed up the hill. They always came back with a cake waiting for them and that would be demolished within the hour. Every evening I cooked a 3-course meal which was always flavoursome and filling. The whole experience was a complete test for me as I had never cooked for so many people by myself before but it was a great success and I came away feeling that I would be able to do it all over again.

I have now ended back up in London study Business for the next 6 months and cooking and entertaining whenever I get the chance. This summer has been an amazing learning journey and I have gained so much experience.

Keep an eye on the blog as I will make sure I am much more present this year and cooking all over London.