Feed Yourself Better

Let me Guide you on cooking for One and enjoying it!

When I was 18 years old, I went to London to pursue my cooking career. I went to the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in Marylebone Lane and thought I really wanted to pursue a career as a professional chef. The course was tough; I was a young girl in London on my own, and I found it really stressful.

I learnt all the French classics, some of which I liked and some of which were heavy and rich and not to my taste. The ingredients that came into the school each day were of the highest quality available, and I used to nearly cry at the amount of waste each day when we had cooked from our demo in the morning.

I remember one day they brought these big bags in from Billingsgate Fish Market and out of them wriggled 50 live eels the size of massive snakes; they tossed around angrily before each one was stabbed in the middle, blood spilt everywhere; it was like a live execution except with fish. Then they cleaned everything away, mopped up the blood that had spilt before braising the dead eels slowly in red wine!

I can remember with every laborious detail how we had to do everything by hand; no electric gadgets were allowed! We beat egg whites with a fork until one arm developed muscles so large that a bodybuilder's convention would not be off the cards. I understood they were teaching us the basics, but dear Lord, I often wondered: wasn’t there an easier way to skin a fish or shape a seven-sided potato?

So I quickly realised during the course that dreams of becoming a chef were not for me; I had to get out of the kitchen and went back to college to follow my fashion dream, ending up in PR.

My passion for food, though, has never left me. I have always eaten very well. I can never understand people who throw a ready meal into a microwave or eat cornflakes for dinner when they are on their own; where is the pleasure in that? I am always amazed by the number of single people swarming the ready-meal aisles. According to current statistics, there are more single households in Ireland and the UK than ever before, so you shouldn’t feel like you are alone. I also hear people say, but why would I bother with all this fuss when it is just for me? That is exactly why you should make the effort; don’t you deserve to eat well and look after yourself as much as couples and families do?

The statistic is fascinating: in 2026, approximately 23% of all private households in Ireland consist of single individuals. This is a huge figure - leaning towards a quarter of the population- and yet it seems like every supermarket only caters for families and larger groups of people. It’s virtually impossible to buy a single vegetable or piece of fruit, which drives me crazy! That’s why I always support local greengrocers who sell individual items. This means way less wastage as you are only cooking what you need!

If you are in any way as gluttonous as me, you dream all day about what to cook up for dinner. I love deciding what mood I am in and therefore what dish I fancy, and no-one interferes with my choice; it gives me enormous pleasure! I think about what I have already in the fridge or store cupboard, whilst trying to cook in season and trying to be creative.

I do have to say that a freezer is invaluable if you are solo; I often make bigger batches of stuff like Bolognese or coq au vin and then freeze the remainder in portions, perfect to heat up after work in the evening. The other great advantage for one is that you can often get a few meals out of one dish, ie a roast chicken gives you a roast dinner, chicken stock for soup, a chicken curry or fricassee and a chicken salad or sandwich. If you make double for dinner, you can gloat with colleagues the next day as you savour your gourmet lunch. The other pleasure of cooking for one is that the quantities are smaller and so you don’t need to kill yourself cooking vast pots of food and doling out army-style portions to many hungry mouths.

So this is the place devoted to the practice of feeding yourself better and learning the little tips to help you cook delicious meals with minimal waste, and hey, you might even find you enjoy ot! I will be sharing recipes and tips with you from here and would love to hear your thoughts or suggestions!

My recipes are straightforward to follow; that is their USP. I don’t believe in what I call “Ponsing” – creating unnecessary steps when there is a shortcut. I learnt to cook the hard and laborious way, but you don’t have to; life is too short in my opinion, to beat egg whites with a fork or de-bone a leg of lamb when your butcher can do it for you. This is another important point: don’t be afraid to ask. If you buy a delicious piece of fresh fish, ask the fishmonger to skin it for you as everyone is time-poor right now.

Do make the effort; you will really start to enjoy it and save your wallet some money by avoiding costly ready meals and takeaways! I promise you that with a little thought and imagination you can eat like a king or queen for one and enjoy it!!