Welcome
Now I have a bit of a confession, I’ve been sitting on this first post for about 4 months now! After the initial excitement of choosing my site name, getting a domain, building a website, even buying a special notebook for all my foodie notes, I STILL haven’t written a thing about the food I’ve eaten recently. Honestly, the self doubt and worry about what people might think crept in, so to ease myself in gently, instead I’m going to write a little bit about me and why this space exists!
I haven’t always enjoyed food, and to be honest, I am still a fairly fussy eater according to my husband. I vividly remember at the age of 12 being told that we were off to a local Indian restaurant for my sisters birthday meal. Of course I was outraged that I would be forced to eat something well out of my comfort zone, and stubbornly declared that I would go, but I won’t be eating ANYTHING! So off we went and whilst I sat there with a sad bowl of chips as a compromise, my family ordered a variety of terrifying looking meals, which smelt strange, and were full of who knows what unsafe foods. One however did pique my interest, and I timidly asked if I could try a bit of Chicken Tikka Masala. Well, my mind was blown! But to admit that I was wrong, absolutely not! So I casually agreed that it was ‘Ok’. This was really the beginning of a much better relationship with food for me, and lead me from being a child surviving on tomato soup and billy bear ham, to me trying so many new things and really growing to love food.
My next food breakthrough came when I started my first job at a vegetarian restaurant in my home town, at the age of 15. I had already decided at this point in my life that I wanted to be a vegetarian, which I’m sure made my parents despair as, whilst my food horizons had expanded since my curry experience, my vegetable intake was minimal. Many vegetarian sausages and Quorn nuggets were consumed during those years. The owners of the vegetarian restaurant were extremely kind enough to feed me before I started work, but that meant eating actual vegetables, at a vegetarian restaurant, shocking I know. Now, being the people pleaser that I was, and still am, I felt horribly rude saying I didn’t want to try anything they gave me, so I put my brave face on and tried everything they offered, and WOW my eyes were opened to a whole new world of food. I ate courgettes, onions, beetroot, falafel, and new types cheese I didn’t even know existed, and I finally learnt that not all vegetables are like the soggy overcooked green beans on the Sunday roast, that squeak when you eat them (sorry mum). I really do owe a lot of my expanded food horizons to the wondering ladies who own the restaurant, and whilst I am no longer a vegetarian, veggie food will always have a special place in my heart because of their incredible cooking talent!
You might have noticed that I started this story by saying that I am still a fairly fussy eater, and yes, I admit that whilst I have come a very long way from the days of chicken nuggets and chips, there are a lot of things that I still won’t even entertain trying. Something that has always been a struggle for me is food textures, and I know a lot of people can relate to this. My parents did once slightly traumatise me by forcing me to sit at the table until I’d finished a plate of stewed potatoes. I would sit for what felt like hours, sobbing whilst my sister sat smugly on the sofa eating chocolate biscuits, gagging whilst forcing down the soggy grainy potatoes, smothered in tomato ketchup because my mum thought that would make it all okay. It did not. My husband finds me infuriating because I can enjoy a food for weeks, but it only takes one time when the texture feels off, and I will never eat it again. Chicken wraps, I’m looking at you!
Ironically living in Cornwall we have an abundance of seafood and fish, and this is one of the biggest things I do not like. I have tried so many times to force myself to like prawns, and I’ve just had to admit that they aren’t for me! But luckily we have so many more options living where we do. There are new and exciting restaurants, bakeries takeaways appearing all the time, and nothing brings me more joy than finding that hidden gem, and then sharing that excitement with my friends, family and colleagues. So really that’s why I wanted to create A Table by the Tide, not because I want to be a famous food reviewer or be invited to secret food openings (however I am definitely not opposed to that, so if you fancy asking me to come along email me 😉 ), but because I wanted a space to talk about the incredible food that I have tried in Cornwall and beyond.
So now I need to stop worrying about what people might think of what I write, and give up the idea that everything must be perfect before I share this, because otherwise I won’t be able to share any of my culinary adventures with anyone who just loves food like me 🙂
So without further ado, thank you for reading and welcome to my blog, A Table by the Tide.
S x
A Table by the Tide 