A little about National Dish:
Me
I’m a Publisher and Managing Director, digital media to be precise, for large newspaper and magazine media companies. I love content, connectivity and SEO.
I’m a food fanatic. I love cooking, making recipes, entertaining and restaurant reviews.
This blog is my sandbox.
I am a Trustee at my local Foodbank.
National Dish
Recipes and food from all over the world and some focus on Cheltenham and The Cotswolds.
Growing up in the UK was tough from a food perspective, not only because we didn’t have much, but also because the UK’s history with cooking is…bland. I do like a roast, but not really, it’s so dull – don’t even get me started on a carvery (seriously, why do people pile the food so high – it’s gross)?
The rest of world offers so much opportunity to try new things and experience the culture connected to the food. I grew up with people using the expression “I’m not eating that foreign muck” – ugh.
This is for people who have an eclectic palate and love the sociology, history and geo-diversity of food. Some of the ingredients aren’t readily available in the UK, so I have substituted and adapted. In many cases, I will have never personally tasted the original, so can’t and won’t be credible enough to comment as to it’s authenticity, but others will tell me if I get it wrong.
Just like this Nigerian Lamb Suya I made – it was ace, and I got some very constructive and authentic criticism from it, I love that. That said, if I think it tastes shit, it won’t be published.
Restaurant Reviews
Reviewing restaurants, especially openings, is fun as hell. I go out of my way to avoid being a self indulgent reviewer, you know the type – spends 50% of the review writing about themselves before they get to the food. I’m only writing this About Us page because any site requires one.
Based in the Cotswolds, just outside of Cheltenham (born in Bristol) with my office in London plus lots of international travel, I’m spoilt for choice.
Sometimes I get invited to review and sometimes I am just out and will review – either way, they are as honest and always constructive in any criticism.
If you are opening and would like a review, just DM me on Insta.
A Little on Foodbanks
Food poverty in the mighty, we don’t need the EU, Great Britain is incredible to imagine and it’s going to get worse with the war in Ukraine. I remember as a child, before Foodbanks, sometimes not having food. I thought the lack of material things, such as clothing and toys was the only impoverished part of my life, but it was also food.
Like so many, I came from a broken home with my mother holding down 3 jobs with zero support from my father, we were poor and living in poverty. There are thousands of families still suffering this in Britain and Foodbanks are helping over half a million, that’s half a MILLION children – and it’s getting worse. This shouldn’t be happening in this country, or any country.
Also, Foodbanks don’t just hand out free food, there is a process and support network behind it. So if you see a Foodbank donation point, and you can drop some food into it, please do – it’s a real problem. We also accept financial donations and do very good work with the money for people in the UK suffering from food poverty.
You can learn more about Foodbanks here.
Healthy Food
I try to replace white, starchy and complex carbohydrates with an alternative, aiming for as close to the Paleo diet as I can. So that’s less bread, rice, grains and potato. I also try to avoid at all costs, refined sugar.
I’ll use booze a lot, but the alcohol will be cooked out anyway. Sometimes I’ll replace the carbs with courgette/zucchini, cauliflower rice, carrot or kohlrabi noodles and anything else I can think of.
Allergens – Especially Gluten
Aim for Gluten Free – which just happens to be a happy bi-product of removing much of the carb. Eating Gluten doesn’t make me feel great. I stopped drinking beer, ale, lager etc and almost immediately, stopped farting as well – that was a pretty good clue.
There is increasing awareness of intolerance to gluten, by avoiding carbs that contain gluten, these recipes automatically become healthier.
So, I’ve stuck with it and the food doesn’t suffer for it.
Disclaimer
This blog is my opinion and my words only. Any content that I am paid to write will be clearly marked as such and still be treated with respect and integrity. This is a real blog from a real enthusiast. I don’t expect to get rich or make a living from it, so, I can be honest and have fun.
Get in touch – just DM or email me.
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LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/waynemorgan/