2009, the year that was

A review of a year where I gave up posting in August? Why not? Maybe it will help explain the lack of white noise from these parts.

I resolve to come here more often in 2010, to remind myself to cook new things more often and to eat in some of the places Ive been dying to eat for years (el bulli is open for reservations if

anyone wants someone to come with them)

Some of my food related highlights of 2009:

• Travel, lots of it - Barcelona (mmmm the hot chocolate), Paris (pastries!), India (amazing street food), New York (pizza), Munich and Berlin for the gluhwein at Christmas
• Living in Granada and eating tapas on an almost daily basis in the lovely Bodega Casteneda
• Travelling around Spain and eating fresh fish and the most amazing tapas and wishing I could learn enough Spanish to move to Cadiz
• 3 months in Ballymaloe cookery school which sometimes feels like it was a dream until I decide to make croissants for breakfast or whip up bearnaise to go with my steak
• Steak! I didnt even eat steak this time last year. Lamb,Pork, Chicken livers - all new!
• Rather than reviewing mince pies as I did last year making bucketloads of mincemeat and mince pies (best pastry recipe) and then spending a whole month feeding them to neighbours,friends and family
• Putting up shelf after shelf in my tiny kitchen for all the cookbooks that have come my way and the files from Ballymaloe
• Getting a shiny new Kenwood and a food processor (which I never thought I would need and now cant live without)
• Eating at The Cliff House hotel which was fabulous even if the head chef wasnt too keen on my use of words for him
• Fishing!
• Meeting some amazing artisan producers from around Ireland
• Getting to know my local butchers on a first name basis
• Convincing people I know to grow veg on their balconies and apartment rooves
• Growing beetroot although not very successfully
• Deciding to keep hens and half building a hen house (more to come on that this year)
• Being inspired over and over again
• Almost completely removing processed foods from my diet (and introducing a lot of butter)
• Catering and working in a restaurant kitchen

2009 was a year of making things happen. I left my job and spent 6 months following my foodie interests and had the time of my life. I then came back to reality with a thud and returned to office life, but somewhere out there that may all change again in future.

Wishing you all a fantastic 2010.