The Distracted Housewife

This Post was written by Cath from The Distracted Housewife .

1. Where are you based? On the west coast of Wales, near Aberystwyth. I came here to go to university in 1996 and have basically never left. I met my husband there, we got married in 2001 and bought an old cottage just before our first wedding anniversary. Karl and I have renovated it over the last few years: from nailed-up wallpaper, a scary tiled fireplace and unexplained hooks everywhere, we've created our family home.

2. How long have you been blogging? Since March 2007.

3. What's the best thing about food blogging? I cook a wider variety of dishes, rather than the same favourites every few weeks. I also love hearing that people have tried and enjoyed recipes I've posted.

4. What's the worst thing about food blogging? Figuring out the amounts I use for a lot of day-to-day recipes. I'm a bit of a bung-it-all-in-and-hope cook at heart. Striking the right balance between giving enough information and being patronising, for example when I write about making pastry or cooking pasta).

5. What inspires you to cook and write? My Mum is a great cook, and her Mum was too. I learnt to cook the old-fashioned way, by watching my Mum and helping her as I got older. Now my 3-year old is starting to really help me, rather than just making a mess. I have an ever-growing collection of cookbooks (my 'food porn'), which fuel my passion for cooking (and eating!). More than anything, I love to sit at the table with my husband and sons, watching them enjoy a meal I've cooked for them.

6. Where do you like to blog? In the sitting room, either after our evening meal while the children are are in the bath (if their Dad's home), or after they're tucked up in bed for the night (if he's not).

7. What's your signature dish? Either my Baked Spiced Chicken with couscous and - just about everyone I know has eaten it at least once - or Simple Tomato Soup - which was on my first ever blog post.

8. What about you might it surprise other bloggers to know? I used to weigh 19 stone and lost a lot of weight a couple of years ago when my first child was nearly a year old. I still love cooking and eating and never compromise on taste, I just restrain myself a little more often nowadays.

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.

This Post was written by Alex from Eating Leeds.

1. Where are you based?
The Knightsbridge of the North, in God's own county (Leeds, West Yorkshire).

2. How long have you been blogging?
My blog tells me it's since Monday February 6 2006. I can't believe it's that long!

3. What's the best thing about food blogging?
Aside from writing about food, it keeps me quiet and gives me plenty of excuses for cooking and eating out.

4. What's the worst thing about food blogging?
Taking photographs of food - mine are always rubbish.

5. What inspires you to cook and write?
I'm inspired to cook because I like eating - it's that simple. Writing - well, I'm quite opinionated about restaurants ... and I'm very analytical about my cooking ... if nothing else, Eating Leeds provides me with a record of where I've eaten and what has or hasn't worked in the kitchen. Otherwise I'd have to keep a notebook.

6. Where do you like to blog?
Anywhere with an internet connection - though very often at work during lunch.

7. What's your signature dish?
Probably cake - no one cake in particular, just cake in general. Though I also do excellent gougères.

8. What about you might it surprise other bloggers to know?
I'm not bad at self promotion ... for example, at the moment I'm running a competition in conjunction with Hotel Chocolat!

This Post was written by Helda from http://seychellessensation.blogspot.com/

1. Where are you based?
In west london

2. How long have you been blogging?
I started this one in august ,I'm still only in the infants.

3. What's the best thing about food blogging?
Putting my thoughts down in writing,looking at your posts and wondering who has written them, it can't be me..could it???I really enjoy receiving comments. My friends and family have started to tire of my constant food talk, so my blog is a good release of built up thoughts!!

4. What's the worst thing about food blogging?
I haven't quite worked out have to edit my photos, i want them in such a place and they end up somewhere else.

5. What inspires you to cook and write?
Everyday life, sometimes it’s a memory of a place I have been, a smell of something or even a picture! I love trying out new dishes and discovering new foods, that in turn I could make into something great!

6. Where do you like to blog?At home in the middle of the night whilst all are asleep its so perfect,no interuptions.

7. What's your signature dish?
I have been asked this before..and I really do not know what to choose!! Perhaps it would be a smoked fish salad, rice and pumpkin chatini.

8. What about you might it surprise other bloggers to know?
I run the london crochet meet up group, i love to crochet and knit.

An introduction from Nic at Mrs Bs Baking

This Post was written by Nic from Mrs Bs Baking at www.ickystickypudding.blogspot.com

1. Where are you based?
I live in London; the east side!

2. How long have you been blogging?
I only started in August so I am quite new!

3. What's the best thing about food blogging?
It has to be sharing creative ideas and recipes with other people who love baking and cooking as much as me! Also taking funny pictures of the things I make.

4. What's the worst thing about food blogging?
My husband would say the fact I talk about it all the time!

5. What inspires you to cook and write?
My nan and my mum are both amazing cooks and when my nan died I was given all her cooking books and I love making all her old recipes. Also reading other people's blogs and all the cook books I read.

6. Where do you like to blog?
I would like to say my house but I haven't long moved and haven't got the internet set up yet so it's my friends house and the library!

7. What's your signature dish?
It has to be one of my cakes but I am not sure which. If anyone comes around to my house they always leave with some kind of cake!

8. What about you might it surprise other bloggers to know?
I recently got married and went on a 3 month traveling honeymoon around Asia sampling all the culinary delights!

An introduction from Jules at Domestic Goddess in Training

This Post was written by Jules from Domestic Goddess in Training

1. Where are you based? rural Derbyshire

2. How long have you been blogging?I've had a blog since 2001, but my food blog started in May 2006.

3. What's the best thing about food blogging? I find it a great way for keeping track of what I've cooked.

4. What's the worst thing about food blogging? The fact that Blogger sometimes does odd things to my blogs formatting, and I don't know how to fix it.

5. What inspires you to cook and write? Places I've been, TV programmes, other foodie blogs, foodie forums and what ever is in season

6. Where do you like to blog? Usually on the setee with my laptop

7. What's your signature dish? Either my Baileys Cheesecake or Asparagus & Feta tart.

8. What about you might it surprise other bloggers to know? I used to live in Berlin and saw the wall fall down.

An Introduction from Margot at Coffee & Vanilla

This Post was written by Margot from Coffee & Vanilla

1. Where are you based?
North London

2. How long have you been blogging?
Since March 2007.

3. What's the best thing about food blogging?
Taking pictures for my recipes.

4. What's the worst thing about food blogging?
Writing down recipes in the kitchen while cooking. I wish I could just type it on the computer one time but my hands are too dirty...

5. What inspires you to cook and write?
My family and other bloggers with their delicious recipes... I have added to my Technorati over 90 food blogs now.

6. Where do you like to blog?
From my computer that is located in my bedroom most of the times.
Sometimes on the laptop in living room watching TV at the same time... (I'm addicted to the computers so when I watch TV I feel like I waste time and I have to do something else at the same time.)

7. What's your signature dish
Pineapple & Ginger Chicken and recently... muffins.

8. What about you might it surprise other bloggers to know
I worked on the cruise ships in the Caribbean for 2 years.

An Introduction from Rosie Bakes A ‘Peace’ of cake

This Post was written by Rosie from rosiebakesapeaceofcake.

1. Where are you based?
In Lincolnshire

2. How long have you been blogging?
I’ve only been blogging since July this year my only wish that I had started sooner

3.What's the best thing about food blogging?
Having Inspiration for trying new recipes out. Not having to babble on constantly to my dear family all the time with foodie talk and being able to put my passion into writing.

4. What's the worst thing about food blogging?
Learning to grasp certain aspects in HMTL and the word addiction comes to mind in blogging

5. What inspires you to cook and write?
Food has always played a big part in my family life. My first inspiration to cook and bake came as a child, watching and helping my mum in the kitchen and my love for food has carried through to this present day. Currently through reading other food blogs, cookery books and magazines

6. Where do you like to blog?
At home after baking and I like to write my ideas down while they are still fresh in my mind.

7. What's your signature dish
I really don’t know ….. maybe a huge chocolate cake

8. What about you might it surprise other bloggers to know
As a child I was very finicky and wouldn’t eat meat, I must have caused my mum a few headaches at the time with my eating habits.

Welcome to our New Joiners...and an Apology

Firstly let me say a very big welcome to all our new joiners, it's great to have you here. What a lot of fantastic UK food blogs there are out there - and it's great to see so many new ones being started.

I would like to apologise for the length of time it sometimes takes for me to action your requests to join. I know this is a rather lame excuse but with working full time and running two blogs it does sometimes take me a while to get round to it. Thanks very much for your patience and understanding.

I've just been though all the outstanding emails and actioned them. I hope I haven't missed anyone out but if you think I have do drop me an email again.

I'm looking forward to seeing all your introductory posts, and please do feel free to post anything you feel will be relevant and of interest to your fellow UK food bloggers. Happy posting!

This Post was written by Julia from A Slice of Cherry Pie

Looks Like The Calendar's Been Hit By A Googly

This Post was written by Trig from Aidan Brooks: Trainee Chef

From what I can see, Google has been making some changes to the code for Google Calendar, as a result of which the UKFBA Calendar on my blog, here and elsewhere alternately appears blank and then with data that can't be read properly given the width of most of our sidebars. I'm pursuing it on Google Communities but if anyone else can post a question/complaint anywhere it would be helpful.

Regards
Trig

Keeping an Eye on UK Food Blogs

This Post was written by Nick from FeedReel on Food and Drink (and The Tracing Paper.

Keeping up with the many superb posts on UK food blogs isn't always easy. Feed readers are a great help but you still have to collect the feeds. Having rather obsessively gathered all the feeds I can find for UK food (and drink) blogs, I've now made the results available on a new website - food.feedreel.co.uk.

FeedReel collates feeds to create a constantly updated list of the titles of newly posted articles on UK food blogs, as well as maintaining a directory of blogs and other sites. I hope that other blog readers will find this as useful as I do, and that it will help drive traffic to all our deserving blogs.

I've also revamped my UK Food Blog search to include other food sites - try it at FeedReel. There are refinements to narrow search results to blogs and other areas of interest.

Please try FeedReel and let me know what you think. I'm planning to continue to improve it and introduce new features. If you'd like to be kept up to date, drop me an email at nick[at]feedreel.co.uk.

Allow me to introduce myself....

This Post was written by Stockton from The Good Stuff

1.Where are you based?
Leeds, Yorkshire

2. How long have you been blogging?
About a year now.

3.What's the best thing about food blogging?
Well, it gives you an outlet to share this obsession we all have amongst each other! It really is a great community. Also, the need to tell people about wonderful recipes or suppliers or other food-based stuff is overwhelming at times. It’s creative, in a good way.

4. What's the worst thing about food blogging?
Let’s see…not much really. Comments being left on your blog that don’t really mean much…when another blogger beats you to the punch about a certain restaurant review or something like that. All the petty stuff.

5. What inspires you to cook and write?
Food is in my family – we are a family of butchers – so I guess it’s in my blood. The desire to make sure the independent suppliers and farmers who provide such great food get credit is hardwired, too. As for cooking for others – just the thrill of sharing. My hero and inspiration for getting off my ass and writing about the food I love is Anthony Bourdain.

6. Where do you like to blog?
In my dungeon. I would however, like to blog at a bar soon with a fine selection of Belgian and American micro-brewed ales at my disposal. And a jukebox…A Really good jukebox. And Tapas that never ends.

7. What's your signature dish?
Anything you could count as tapas. Small, delicious things. 8. What about you might it surprise other bloggers to know?I also write fiction…and have seen every episode of The X Files.