- but now Ihavemany.
They includea stainedand
sticky hardbackcopyofyourTheOld
World Kitchen, a voluptuousvolumeof
European peasantdishes– thekindoffood
we’d probablysharetogetherwitha bottleof
wine. I feelourculinaryspiritshavesprung
from similarrootsandcrossedthesame
continents,inspiredbypeopleandtheir
traditions. Aswritersandtravellers,wehave
juggled cookingandchildren;wehave
pivoted onsimplicity,withourmost
extravagantkitchenutensilsbeingthose
quirky onescollectedonourtravels;andthe
heart of ourhomehasbeenthekitchen,
where a mealsharedwithfriendsandfamily
is “a celebrationofthegoodtimesand
comfort in timesoftrouble”.
At the endofFamilyLifewemeetFrancesca,
your eldestdaughter,whotragicallydied
aged just 29.Andwhenshecannolongertell
her own story,youstepinwithmaternallove
to “celebrateherliving”byplanningan
annual picnicofwildstrawberriesandher
favourite honeyedwine.
You say thatyouwriteaboutcooking
because fooddoeswhatyoutellit todoand
nothing elseinyourlifehasdonethat.We
can’t controlourlivesorthoseofourloved
ones, but wecanbemastersofwhatweeat,
so it’s no wonderthatcookingis your
“shortcut tohappiness”.Youserveus
laughter andsadnessona platterinthe
same way youwouldserverajas
poblanas – thoseMexicancheese-
stuffed greenpeppersthat
apparentlycause“roaring
indigestion”butare“well
worthit!”Betweenthepagesofyour
books,I havesmiledandchuckled;
I haveleapttomyfeettocheckthe
contentsofmyfridge;I havefeltmy
heartstringstightenasthetearspoured
downmycheeks.Thisis thepowerof
yourstory,theeffectofyourhonesty.
Youhaveenrichedoursoulswithyour
wisdomandhumour,andshownushow
seamlesslyfoodandfamilyareentwined.make it special.
Turn the page for Ghillie’s recipe →
“T h e s e li tt l e
stories were
nuggets of
reassurance to
me as I raised
my children
on my own”deliciousmagazine.co.uk 35
hillie