Dear world, Love Mary

I am by no means a chef. I can over season or (slightly more unforgivable) under season food. I can tell you of the numerous occasions where my signature bake became a legendary mess. I can tell you about times where I have tried be a "super foodie" and find a niche independent eatery in a town I have never visited, only to end up munching on McNuggies in my hotel room.

However, I can say that I love food.

I love cooking it, eating it and forcing my friends to listen me gush about a new cooking technique that I read about. That is why I have started this food blog. All I want to do is share my passion with a few like-minded souls and have a laugh.

If any of Facebook friends are reading this, then you know that there have been many attempts to get this blog off the ground - I believe this may be my 3rd go, haha! The older blogs still exist on the internet so any wannabe detectives are free to scour the web to find them but I am by no means linking to them here. Reading some of my old posts conjures the same feelings as when I read the "super cool" Facebook status updates I wrote as a teen. I'll save us all from the unnecessary cringe.

You may be wondering why I have decided to have another go at blogging and the main reason is that we have just lived through a panorama. A panda express. A Pandora's Box. (My friends and I have completely stopped using the word pandemic). If the last year has taught us anything, it is that life is short, precious and unpredictable so spend it doing things and being with people you love and bring you joy. I have a bad habit of holding myself to an unrealistically high standard which means that I push my passion projects to the side in order to reach some mysterious goal. And this was a great at school - I studied hard and was rewarded with good grades. Not so great as an adult if work becomes your life. So this blog's revival is a reminder to myself to do what makes you happy.

Oh, and I quit my job last month so I have A LOT of time to kill!

In terms of what to expect from this blog, I'll be sharing what I've been cooking and places that I have eaten. Every now and again, an actual recipe will be posted but I suggest treating my recipes as more of a guide than actual rules. If you want a closer look at what I get up to between blog posts, then feel free to follow me on Instagram @diaryofahopefulcook.

And that is it for my inaugural post.

Peace out and stay blessed!

Mary xx