eat the right stuff featured in delicious magazine

hello and welcome to any readers of delicious who've discovered eat the right stuff through the "blogstandard" feature in august's edition of the magazine. i hope you enjoy exploring the blog and find some recipes you'd like to try. and if you see something that piques your interest, let me know what you think - comments are hugely welcome!

below is a copy of the interview with links to help you find the recipes mentioned.

what inspired your love of food?

i lived in malawi until i was 14 and grew up eating seasonal food, often made from ingredients we'd grown ourselves. growing up in a multinational community spurred my love for food.

what was the first thing you ever cooked?

in africa i did lots of barbecuing with my father. i also remember making rock cakes and shortbread.

does your blog have a theme?

food that's both healthy and delicious! i love experimenting with recipes, blogging about them and getting positive feedback. my mackerel fishcakes, for example, got loads of responses. and i do reach quite a few people -my blog attracts 2,500 hits a month. (abby update: it's up significantly from that already, which is fabulous)

least favourite thing about blogging?

working and studying at the same time is really time-consuming, so finding time to blog is hard. i also hate spam emails. but the good outweighs the bad. it's great having an instant connection with people. i've even met some other bloggers and we recently did a chocolate cookery course together.

your favourite food blogs?

ms glaze is fantastic, it's written by an american who works in a three-star michelin restaurant in paris. it makes me realise i never want to work in a professional kitchen. stephen cooks was the first blog i read so i love that too.

your top cooking tip?

don't be scared to try anything. find a recipe you like and go for it.

what's your signature dish?

it would have to be my own creation of mackerel fishcakes, although over the winter my friends were going crazy over my vegetarian shepherd's pie.

what's your worst cooking disaster?

creme brulee is a constant disaster (abby update: not any more!). and, i recently cooked a lamb pie with an elaborate filo pastry and dropped it on the floor.i was mortified but we still ate it - the floor was clean, i promise!

do you have any food heroes?

nigel slater inspires me. he shows that you don't need rigid plans when cooking.

your favourite dish?

dhal. i make it all the time. you can make it fresh-tasting by adding lime juice and zest, or rich by stirring in coconut milk.