An introduction from R J MacRae

This post was written by Robert MacRae from Peckish?

1. Where are you based?
The Northern Quarter in city centre Manchester. We're in 'The Garden House' and have an outdoor terrace where I am able to grow herbs, tomatoes, green beans and gourd vines.

2. How long have you been blogging?
Not long at all, only since the end of July 2007.

3. What's the best thing about food blogging?
Knowing I might have an audience out there spurs me on to try new dishes and improve old recipes, so I think there has been more variety in my cooking lately!

4. What's the worst thing about food blogging?
Trying to track down a recipe in my chaotic file of clippings, notes and photocopies! That and converting between imperial and metric measures, because I like my recipes to have an international appeal and I'm comfortable using either.

5. What inspires you to cook and write?
I have kept a diary off and on since my university days, but lately I am too busy during the week to keep it up to date. However, I work on it whenever we travel. So I think travelling is what inspires me most - tasting new dishes, finding different ingredients, sampling local beer & wine, seeing how cooking in other countries compare to the UK and the USA. For instance, German bakeries are out of this world and make most English affairs look pathetic by comparision. And I'll never forget looking at some enormous brick-red steaks in a French butcher's window, then realising why there was a horse's head above the door!

6. Where do you like to blog?
Always at home in my den where I can look out onto our terrace. I tried emailing a post from work one lunch hour, but the formatting was all wrong when it came time to post it.

7. What's your signature dish?
Mexican enchiladas are easy to make but impress my guests, although my green Thai veggie curry turns heads whenever I eat leftovers at the office. 'What IS that you're eating??' I'm asked by my work colleagues, who are amazed that something which smells so delicious can be made at home.

8. What about you might it surprise other bloggers to know?
Despite the fact I may sound Irish and prefer to eat organic, recycle everything and walk everywhere - I am a Kansas farm boy at heart.