The Liebster Award (or, let’s get personal)

Hello All! A special post for you today: I was nominated last week for a Liebster Award by fellow blogger Ksenia from The Immigrants Table. Thanks for the nomination Ksenia!

What is the Liebster Award? Well, it is a way to recognize the work of other bloggers and to share blogs that I love with my lovely readers!

What are the rules?

1. Thank the blogger who nominated me and link to their blog + display the award badge.
2. Answer 11 questions provided by the blogger who nominated me
3. List 11 random facts about myself
4. Nominate 11 bloggers (I tweaked this rule, sorry!)
5. Pose 11 questions to said nominees
6. Go to each nominee’s blog and notify them of their nomination.

Apologies: This is a SUPER LONG post! But don’t despair, I will be posting a recipe for you at the end of the week!

Ok! Here I go!

The Questions:

1. What person, dead or alive, has had the most influence on your cooking? My family! They are my favourite people to cook for, and with. Especially my sissies!
2. What are your thoughts on the Food Network in particular? Love it. I don’t have sky or cable, so my husband and I tend to just binge watch in bed when we are staying at a hotel.
3. … and TV cooking shows in general? Again, love! My fave of all time is anything Nigella. My husband, the Scientist, loves Good Eats!
4. If you could eat one convenience store junk food for the rest of your life, absconding all others, what would you choose? Cadbury’s Dairy Milk? Does that count?!
5. What is your favourite way to prepare eggs (if you’re vegan, what is your favourite way to prepare tofu)? I am pretty fussy with my eggs, and only really like them in omelet form or in a quiche. I rather enjoy my tofu rancheros though!
6. What is your favourite cake? My Grandmas coffee cake was always my favourite when I was little, I am also a sucker for a good chocolate cake, or a classic Victoria Sponge with a cup of tea.
7. Sweet or salty? You wouldn’t have guessed it from my last answer, but salty!
8. Crunchy or chewy? Both, please!
9. What do you love most about yourself? My health!
10. Which dish of yours would you want your (future?) children to make in perpetuity, and to remember you by? Ahh… perfect roast potatoes.
11. What has been your favourite blog post of yours? You know, I’m not sure if I have one. But my Honey Glazed Tofu is unexpectedly my most popular post to date!

The Random Facts:

1. My parents were in the Royal Air Force, and I lived in four different cities and in three different countries before the age of seven. I think it’s where my itchy feet come from.
2. My husband and I did not click for the first couple of weeks we knew each other (like, at all!), but we got engaged within six months.
3. I have never watched Shawshank Redemption. Mainly because people keep telling me that I HAVE to watch Shawshank Redemption.
4. My favourite place in the whole world is the Lake District, just north of where I grew up. Every time I go home to visit, I make a little pilgrimage there. It is simply beautiful.
5. I am an unskilled but enthusiastic skier.
6. I love to read, and am slowly working my way through The Guardians 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read List. 
7. My dog is kind of named after the fictional TV Serial Killer Dexter.
8. I ran my first marathon last year, and I’m hoping to do my next one when I get back into my stride after this baby boy gets here!
9. I went to an all-girls high school.
10. I became a vegetarian at the tender age of 12 after seeing a documentary meat and how it gets to our tables. Something didn’t sit quite right with me, and with the support of my parents, I never looked back! My sisters both became vegetarian shortly afterwards.
11. I used to be EXTREMELY afraid of flying (in fact, I would need a Valium to get me through!), but the more my life has necessitated air travel, the more I have gotten used to it. Now the fear is pretty minimal!

The Nominees:

I nominate Katie from The Muffin Myth, because I just discovered her blog and it has quickly become a new favourite. I love her approach to sensible eating!

I nominate Francesca from Della Cucina Povera because her musings make me chortle, and I love her laid back approach to old family recipes. Plus, I want to live in Amsterdam too.

I nominate  Manali from Cook with Manali for her incredible Indian recipes, and all the context she gives them!

I nominate Julia from Orchard Street Kitchen for her approachable vegetarian recipes, and the fact her blog is still so new: I would love to get to know her better!

11 Questions:

1. Of all the places you have visited, where has the best food?
2. Is there a recipe you just can’t perfect?
3. Has blogging helped you learn anything new about yourself?
4. What cookbook do you use most often?
5. What do you eat for breakfast on the average weekday?
6. Sweet or Savory?
7. What is your idea of “food heaven”?
8. …and “food hell”?
9. What is the one thing you always have in your fridge?
10. What is the one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
11. Describe your perfect weekend?

Phew! Thanks for sticking with me. It is never easy to talk about yourself at length, but thanks for reading and learning a bit more about the lady behind the blog! Please take a minute to visit Ksenia, my nominator, and all of my Nominees- they are a talented bunch!

Until next time!! xx