Time for a re-introduction
For those newer faces and even those who have been around for a long time, I thought the beginning of my Substack journey was the perfect place to re-introduce myself.
Last week I had a feature published in The Times (!!) about me and my cookbook, Stay for Supper, which is coming out in two weeks. Hannah Evans, who interviewed me, asked me a few questions about how what I do now came to be and so to I begin, I thought I’d start with a bit of context for you, for those of you who may be newer to my work.
A re-introduction…
When I was 23 (I am now 29), I moved to London after finishing uni. I got a job in drinks marketing, actually doing social media for a beer and kombucha brand, but I felt restless immediately and wanted to find a way to work with my hands. I became fascinated with ingredients, produce, farmers and soil and in 2019 I hosted a supper club at home for six friends, talking them through the menu of British ingredients as I went. I felt miserable in my day job and eventually quit and moved back home to Wales with my parents. I taught myself to grow vegetables from books and YouTube, and took over my grandpa’s old, very beaten, Victorian greenhouse.
I wanted to cook but also to be as close to the source of my food as possible. I went to Ireland to attend Ballymaloe, a cookery school on an organic farm where I learnt the basics of classical cooking while attending lectures about food and climate change. I spent 5 weeks living in Kent working in the kitchen at The Pig Hotel as one of two women in a team of twelve male chefs. I got lucky to work regularly with incredible chefs in Wales as my parents hosted an independent food festival for many years, and learnt as much from them as I could.
I started to document everything on my Instagram, telling stories of my learnings and my following built slowly. I rescued eight hens as well as two donkeys and was able to work part time for my parents’ hospitality businesses while also driving to London regularly to host supper clubs.. which grew little by little with each one. I did this for the next 5 years, back and forth, usually with a car full of vegetables, eggs and honey before opportunities to cook for people in London became more regular and I decided to leave Wales behind for the time being. Over time, I learnt my style and the way I like to serve food.. I’ve stayed pretty consistent with this. Mostly always sharing plates, mostly vegetarian, and mostly a fun, slightly eccentric pudding to finish.
The supper clubs I ran as a hobby, as a way to experiment and nurture my cooking skills while celebrating some of my favourite suppliers. They led to the interest of beauty, fashion, art and lifestyle brands and alongside my community supper clubs, I started to cook and host events for brands I could’ve never dreamed of working with. I was able to go full time working for myself. In October 2022 when my publisher first reached out I felt a million miles away from being ready to write a cookbook but now I realise that I will never be fully ready because as a cook I will continue to learn forever. I am so proud of Stay for Supper because it feels like a time stamp for this first section of my career and all the recipes ring so true to what I have cooked and eaten during this period of my life.
What can you expect from my Substack?
In this weekly newsletter, I will continue to share my story so far, the behind the scenes of my events and supper clubs, and thoughts on everything from food to fashion to travel. I love the written word and I’ve been so excited to start this as a way to give you more insight than perhaps other social media platforms can. My newsletter will be free for the first month, so you and I can both get a feel for it, and then it will be put behind a paywall so if you would like to support my work, I would so appreciate you exploring the options to do so. Although it is free for now, should you choose to become a paid subscriber during this first month you will receive a discounted rate.
To end I wanted to share a few things that I’ve enjoyed over the last week:
Kuro Bagels. If you are in London these really are good and worth visiting. As a matcha snob, I also am grateful they serve a matcha tea (iykyk) and not just a matcha latte, and it’s very good.
Olivia Attwood on How to Fail. Having known very little about Olivia before hand, I absolutely loved this episode. She speaks so authentically and I related to much of what she said, especially about a late ADHD diagnosis and how that’s affected my sense of self in my late twenties.
I recently replenished my supply of Suavina lip balm at Pophams Home and I’d forgotten how much I loved it. If you’re a lip balm addict like me (thank you past years of acne medication) I think you’ll love, and great packaging too.
Hugo and I went to see The Face exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery at the weekend and I found it so inspiring. I rarely go to photography exhibitions but loved it and it’s so amazing to see the impact of recent decades of music and fashion culture on us today.
The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% face mask. WOW! I am super careful with what I put on my skin because I am prone to acne as well as dermatitis. I’ve been using this mask twice a week for the last few weeks (but set a timer for 7 mins to not overdue it) and my skin has been loving it. No spots, no redness. woop!
Next week I’ll be breaking down the BTS of catering and producing events for brands, as well as some more weekly recommendations and let me know if you have any questions in the meantime.
Xanthe xx