Nicola Galloway is a trained chef, nutritionist, author of three cookbooks, and founder of the lovely food blog, Homegrown Kitchen. Her blog is jam packed with wholesome and seasonal recipes, with the ingredients quite often grown in her garden. The way Nicola embraces the best of the simple life, which was influenced by her upbringing, really makes me question the urbanite in me and suddenly I’m dreaming of my very own veggie patch, hens and fruit trees. She has also just released a 2015 seasonal recipe calendar, which I can’t wait to get my hands on! If you’re not yet a reader of Homegrown Kitchen, make sure you pop over to discover it for yourself and click on the motion video on her about page to get the perfect picture of what it’s all about. Today it is with great pleasure that I have Nicola as my guest, answering my 5 food questions.
Over to you Nicola…
What is your earliest food memory?
Cooking with my Nana when I was about 6 or 7. She used to pick me up after school on Thursday’s and we would spend the afternoon cooking dinner and always a dessert. She is the queen of desserts.
Who has had the most influence on your love of food over the years?
Besides my Nana who introduced me to home cooking, I would have to say I am a big fan of Nigel Slater and his simple and rustic style of cooking.
Where do you source your produce from?
We have two markets in Nelson, one on a Wednesday and one on a Saturday and I often go to both as I like to eat fresh produce and buy direct from the grower. I also grow a fair amount of produce in our backyard and we have over a dozen fruit trees ranging from heirloom greengage plums to Valencia oranges and the most proficient blackberries vines.
Sweet or savoury?
Most definitely savoury. I love the creative scope you have with savoury flavours. I particularly love Asian cuisines such as Thai and Vietnamese with the delicate balance of salty, sour, sweet and spicy.
Food moments…
… are best shared with people you love.
Thank you so much Nicola and what beautiful life you live.
Readers you can follow Homegrown Kitchen on the following social media channels:
You can read more about her newly released 2015 seasonal recipe calendar here.
Mel xx
4 Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Nicola’s blog is so warm and welcoming. The recipes look beautiful and sooo tasty. I’ve never lived in the country either Mel and Nicola’s lifestyle sounds so fulfilling, it would be lovely to trial living in the country for a bit. Love the first photo of Nicola, especially her dress. Thank you for introducing us to Homegrown Kitchen, I’ll make sure I pop in and say hello. xx
You’ll love it Catherine. Have a great weekend lovely! Bet you’re in the final stages of the big move? M xx
Thanks for having me Mel. Yes we certainly like to live the ‘simple’ life down here in Nelson as much as we can. However, in all honesty the simple life is certainly no less busy! There is always fruit to preserve or bread to bake or seedlings to plant or fruit trees to prune. And the list goes on, but I wouldn’t swap it for anything xx
Sounds like heaven Nicola. Thanks so much for being my lovely guest. xx