A story about love, lentils, and late-night feasts.
Born in a Kitchen
“I grew up under a table — or at least that’s what it felt like.”
Food was everywhere when I was a child — not just on the table, but in the air. My parents worked in catering, so our house often felt like a pop-up prep kitchen. I have vivid memories of polishing cutlery on tea towels, trying to stack glasses taller than I was, and watching trays of canapés being assembled with military precision. Some kids played shops; I played buffets. Cooking wasn’t a novelty or a hobby — it was just part of life. By the time I was a teenager, I could rustle up a three-course meal faster than most kids could make toast. It was chaotic, often hilarious, occasionally exhausting — and I loved it.
From Hospitality to Spreadsheets
“I took a detour through finance, but food never really let go.”
Life, as it does, had other plans. I moved away from catering and eventually found myself working in finance — a world of KPIs, tight deadlines, and spreadsheets that never stopped multiplying. It was stable, logical, and a far cry from the sizzle of a frying pan. For a while, it suited me. But the further I got from the kitchen, the more I missed it. I’d still cook from time to time, but it felt functional rather than joyful. Something was missing — not just flavour, but the spark. I didn’t know it then, but I was waiting for something (or someone) to bring it back.
The Plot Twist: A Vegan and a Carnivore Walk Into a Kitchen
“It started with a boy, a dinner party, and one small problem: I wasn’t vegan. He was.”
Then I met him. My now-husband. Funny, thoughtful, vegan. We hit it off immediately — except in the kitchen, where we were on different planets. I was all butter, cream, and slow-roasted meats. He was tofu, pulses, and almond milk before it was trendy. But food mattered to both of us. For our first New Year’s Eve together, I wanted to cook a meal we could both enjoy. It couldn’t be an afterthought. I wanted it to be special — indulgent, beautiful, and absolutely, unapologetically vegan. It was a challenge. I had no idea what I was doing. But I was all in.
The Vegan Bit (But Make It Fun)
“At first, it was just easier. Then it started to matter.”
Switching to a plant-based diet didn’t happen overnight. At first, I did it for simplicity — it was easier to cook one meal for two. But the more I learned about the ethics of animal agriculture, the environmental impact of food production, and how broken our systems really are, the more it got under my skin. Veganism wasn’t just about ingredients anymore. It became a choice I felt good about — for animals, for the planet, and honestly, for myself. What started as a relationship compromise slowly became a lifestyle shift, then a core value.
A Rekindled Flame
“Going vegan gave me my love of cooking back. Weird, right?”
Ironically, removing meat and dairy from the menu made me a better cook. I couldn’t rely on the usual crutches anymore — I had to rebuild everything from the ground up. Suddenly I was learning new techniques, discovering ingredients I’d never used before, and experimenting with spices, textures, and unexpected combinations. Cooking stopped being routine and started being exciting again. It reminded me of those childhood days in the kitchen — except now, I had full creative control. It didn’t feel like a limitation. It felt like a playground.
A Tradition is Born
“One feast turned into a tradition. A delicious, yearly, totally over-the-top tradition.”
That first New Year’s Eve meal was the beginning of what would become a cherished tradition. Every year since, we’ve marked the end of the year with a themed vegan feast — usually based on a different country or cuisine. We’d spend weeks researching the culture, experimenting with flavours, sourcing ingredients, and building a full multi-course menu from scratch. From canapés to desserts, we’d cook our way through Ethiopia, Italy, India, and beyond — all from our little home kitchen. It wasn’t just about food. It was how we celebrated togetherness, creativity, and love.
Feasting Beyond the Calendar
“Birthdays, holidays, Tuesday nights… everything became a reason to cook.”
Eventually, it wasn’t just New Year’s Eve. We started doing menus for birthdays, anniversaries, and dinner parties with friends. Even random Tuesday nights sometimes turned into testing grounds for new recipes. We found ourselves creating little rituals around food, not just to celebrate big events, but to make everyday life feel a bit more special. There was joy in the planning, the cooking, the plating — and especially in the sharing. These feasts became the soundtrack to our life together: vibrant, chaotic, flavourful, and full of heart.
From Kitchen to Cookbook
“After ten years of menus, we realised we had a book on our hands.”
We had scraps of paper, notes on our phones, flour-dusted recipe cards, and photos of every meal. Eventually, it hit us: we should turn it all into a book. Not just a recipe collection, but a story — of how we met, how we cooked, and how food brought us closer. Writing A Journey Around the World was a way to honour all the menus, mishaps, and magical meals that shaped our journey. Every chapter is a full feast, from canapés to dessert, rooted in tradition but reimagined through a plant-based lens. It’s a cookbook, yes — but it’s also a love story.
What Comes After the Book?
“Once you’ve written down all your stories… you want to hear everyone else’s.”
As we wrapped up the final chapters, we started hearing from people — friends, readers, testers — who had cooked the menus, shared the stories, and even started their own traditions. And that’s when we realised: we didn’t want this to end when the book did. The best part wasn’t just making food. It was sharing it. Talking about it. Hearing how someone swapped out an ingredient or added a family twist. The cookbook had started a conversation — and we wanted to keep it going.
So Here We Are: Welcome to the Grub Club
“It’s a blog. It’s a kitchen table. It’s a love letter to food and the people who cook it.”
The Grub Club is the next chapter — a place where the stories and recipes continue. It’s where we share new menus, everyday dishes, themed feasts, and the tales that come with them. It’s for curious cooks, nostalgic hosts, kitchen nerds, and anyone who believes food should be full of flavour and feeling. Whether you’re here for dinner party inspiration, a recipe to impress, or just something warm to read with your morning coffee — welcome. The table’s set, the oven’s on, and we’re so glad you’ve joined us.