On eating proper food: Thinking back myself to the point around 6-12 months ago where I stopped getting ill and dropped down a jean size was also the point at which I started cooking proper food myself.

Last night myself and housemates D and M forsaked the usual Friday night takeout for a chicken curry that was surprisingly easy to make. And heaps cheaper, of course. Also this week I’ve had pasta in a tomato sauce with chicken and bacon, chicken stir-fry with a lime, corriander and soy sauce and pork with mashed potato and a creamy leek and musard sauce. Sometimes when you don’t feel like cooking it’s nice to have housemates that will either motivate you to do so or even to do it for you.

My two sources of inspriation at the moment are the BBC Food site and the Sainsbury Local by South Ealing tube. I usually decide what meat (including none) I want and build a meal up around that. Add some carbs, a few vegetables and the rest is all down to experimentation. I’m still learning which flavours go well with each other and which herbs and spices to use under different circumstances.

Stir fries are always good if you’re not sure quite what you want to eat – the shops always seem to have the right ingredients even at 9pm after a long day at work. And the corner shop always has fresh ginger.

I try not to buy packets or jars. It’s easy to cook up that jar of pasta sauce in five minutes if it’s sitting there in the back of the cupboard but if it’s not there then I’ll use the can of tomatoes, the tomato puree and the vegatables instead. It might take a bit longer but it’s worth it for the feeling of accomplishment alone.

I think cooking is like blogging – it’s all about keeping up the disclipline. Get out the habit for a while and youn lose it. But keep on at it and gradually over time you start to suck less ;-).