For me, cooking is creativity you can taste. There is little more satisfying than opening the pantry, seeing what is already there and turning it into something delicious.
A recipe can be a useful starting point, but the real pleasure often begins with a little improvisation. A tin of tomatoes, some pasta, an onion and a few herbs might be all it takes. The ingredients set the scene; curiosity does the rest.
Start with what you have
I enjoy the small puzzle of bringing what is available together. What could use a little sweetness? What needs something fresh, a touch of spice or a bit of crunch? Taste, adjust and taste again. You do not need an elaborate shopping list to put a good meal on the table.
That freedom makes cooking such a rewarding hobby. The same cupboard can lead to very different meals, and a leftover ingredient can become the beginning of a new idea. Making the most of what you have is part of the fun.
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The pleasure of making something
Chopping, stirring and following the aromas from a pan bring my attention back to the moment. Then comes the best part: sitting down to enjoy what those ordinary ingredients have become. It does not have to be complicated. It just has to taste good.
The photographs illustrate this introduction; they are not photographs of my own cooking. Image credits and licences appear beneath each photograph.