W
henIwas16Istartedtokeepamenubook,
aschoolexercisebookI’dcarefullycoveredin
wrapping paper. This was an odd obsession
becauseIdidn’tcookthemajorityofthemenusIcreated;
Iwould’veneededarestauranttogetthroughthemall.
The pleasure was in putting the menus together.
Istillhavethenotebook.Mostofthemealsaresimple:
cucumber salad with dill and soured cream, goulash,
bakedautumnfruit,crudités(thekindI’dhadinFrance),
poulet bonne femme, galette aux pommes. There are no
dishesfromsomeofthecuisinesInowlove–theMiddle
EastorVietnam,forexample–andthereareafewold-
fashioned, embarrassingly complicated menus I wouldn’t
dream of attempting these days: buckwheat blinis with
warmbutter,souredcreamandsmokedsalmon;guinea
fowlbreastsinpastrywithduxellesandmadeirasauce;
GrandMarniersoufflé.Ididactuallycookthis.WasImad?
Igavemyfirst‘dinnerparty’soonafterIstartedkeeping
my menu book. My school friends were bemused by the
candlelitroom(I’dgoneoverthetop).“Arewegoingto
celebrate Mass?” one asked but I continued, undaunted.
Iloved‘havingpeopleover’but,evenmore,Ilovedputting
amenutogether.It’sstillmyfavouritebitofcooking.Idon’t
issueinvitationsandthenwonderwhattocook–Icome
up with a menu and wonder who would like to eat it.
WhydidIdecidetowriteawholebookofmenuswhen
peoplecancomposetheirown?BecauseIgetaskedmore
questions about menus than anything else. Friday nights
andSaturdaymorningsbringendlessphonecallsandtexts
from friends preparing meals for Saturday night who’ve
decided on a main course but don’t know what to have for
pudding,andeverybodywantsaquickstarter.“Willthese
dishes work together?” is something I’m frequently asked.THEMENURULES(OK)
There are some practical ‘rules’, though they’re open to
beingbent,evencompletelybroken.Ideally,nomorethan
twocoursesshouldbecookedatthelastminute,otherwise
you’llbestressed.(Thisrulecanbedispensedwithifyou
are one of those cooks who can deep-fry while making
sparklingconversationwith12people.Iamnotoneof
thosecooks.)Amealshouldn’tbetoorich:creamshould
only appear in one course (though you can always have it
withpudding).It’snotidealtorepeatingredients.Consider
colour, texture and temperature and, it almost goes
withoutsaying,eatseasonally.
Myparentsweren’t‘foodies’(thankGod);wejustate
good food every day and had access to great ingredients
(I’m from Northern Ireland, where the beef, fish and dairy
areexcellent).Ilearnedtocookwell.Therewerenogrand
dinnersbuttherewerepartieswherethecraicandthe
whisky were as important as the food. Stuffed olives in the
fridge(fancyatthetime)andtherich,woodytonesof
Frank Sinatra filling the house meant good times.ATASTEFORADVENTURE
Wedidn’ttravel.Withsixofusitwasunaffordable.When
we went on holidays to Dublin we’d go to the airport so we
couldwatchplanestakingoff.Ialwaysfeltontheedgeof
possibilitiesbutIwentplacesviabooksandcooking.How
to Eat a Peachstartedoutasabookofmenusbutturned
into something more, into a book about how we dream of
places and experience ‘otherness’ through food, sometimes
in a way that is daunting and confusing. The book is as
much about place as it is about meals.
MyfirsttripoutsideIrelandwastoFrance.Ahomesick
15yearold,IwenttostaywithafamilyI’dnevermetto
improvemyFrench.Mycounterpart,Clothilde,wasa
wonderfulcookandwespenteverydayplanningmeals.I
became obsessed with France – and with food – on that trip.
When I was in my 20s, while friends went backpacking
inAsia,IworkedmywayroundeveryregionofFrance
with Patricia Wells’TheFoodLover’sGuidetoFranceas my
guide.OnceIsettledinLondonIwenttotheFrench
seasideeveryEaster.AtriptoNormandyalwaysmeant
amealatLesVapeursinTrouville(seeoverleaf).
Icouldn’taffordtheseafoodplattersinthosedaysbut
Iwashappywithmusselscookedincider,enrichedwith
Normandy cream. Brittany meant buckwheat crêpes and
awildercoastline.Lunchmeantoystersandsourdough
from a stall on the roadside, supper a roll-your-sleeves-up
affairwhereyoutuckedintocrevettesandcrabclaws.The
saltytangofseaweedandthearomaofcaramelised sugar
–frommobilecrêperies–hungintheair.
I’vefallenforsomanyplacesthroughfood,itsometimes
feelsasifmylifehasbeenaseriesofaffairs.I’vealways
beenonthevergeofmovingandstartingelsewhere. France
isspecialthough,myfirstlove.Let’seatthere.
ListentoourExtraPortionspodcastwithDianaviaiTunes,
thePodcastappordeliciousmagazine.co.uk.Andcheckouther
Instagram takeover on 27 April: instagram.com/deliciousmag