365 Days of Nigella

374 recipes cooked; £6,100 (and rising) raised for FareShareUK; 1 Forever Family forged (2 dads, 3 kids, 2 dogs).

365 Days of Nigella has been devised, by me, to provide a much-needed escape from the worries of living with anxiety and the complexities they can bring to daily life. It’s a 365-day Nigella cookalong that will diversify our household palate and, at the same time, grant me the avenue to express my passion for food and write about the memories it can evoke. One of the best therapies for anxiety is to recall our feelings of love, positivity, serenity, and pleasure, and, for me, these are often - if not always – associated with food and cooking. And, of course, eating.

I define one day as one entry into this blog: it may comprise of multiple recipes, or a single recipe, but will feature my witterings of the day - at the time of posting. I aim to post every other day (3-4 times per week), so this journey will go on for considerably longer than a year - a realisation that makes me very happy indeed. The reason for not posting every day is that we do not waste food in this house and we will need the days between each cookalong to gladly enjoy leftovers.

A few pleasantries before we begin: I am not running for first place in a photo competition, and I am quite guilty of rather ignorantly throwing about punctuation, and for this (and my writing) I apologise. However, I don’t deny that there is great satisfaction to be had in capturing a dish in all its beauty. I don’t have any fancy equipment; just a phone, small windows, and a bread board and cheese board for a backdrop.

Above all, however, it’s a bit of fun and I would love for you to join me. Cooking is a joyous way to spread love and happiness and I hope you enjoy it as much as I am sure I will enjoy creating, writing and eating my way through this journey.

Nathan Young 12/22/22 Nathan Young 12/22/22

Day 328: the good stuff

Seasonally appropriate levels of dairy and carbs: Day 328 is Nigella’s Macaroni Cheese De Luxe.

Nathan Young 12/21/22 Nathan Young 12/21/22

Day 327: a celebration of colour

A delightfully festive and exuberant addition to our dinner table last night: Day 327 is Nigella’s Sweet and Sour Slaw.

Nathan Young 12/20/22 Nathan Young 12/20/22

Day 326: feisty and merry

Exactly what we need in our arsenal against ANOTHER round of seasonal bugs: Day 326 is Nigella’s Spinach and Coconut Soup.

Nathan Young 12/18/22 Nathan Young 12/18/22

Day 325: what’s not to love?

A beef gravy enriched with drippings, roasting juices, port and crumbly blue: Day 325 is Nigella’s Stilton Gravy.

Nathan Young 12/16/22 Nathan Young 12/16/22

Day 324: a Sunday stalwart

Have been making cauliflower cheese from scratch for years, but I fancied a change. So I very happily took guidance from Nigella last Sunday on this one: Day 324 is Nigella’s Red Leicester Cauliflower Cheese.

Nathan Young 12/10/22 Nathan Young 12/10/22

Day 323: express defrost

Express, definitely cockle-warming, very soothing and highly comforting: Day 323 is Nigella’s Curry in a Hurry

Nathan Young 12/7/22 Nathan Young 12/7/22

Day 322: bejewelled joy

A bejewelled and delicious take on a winter favourite: Day 322 is Nigella’s Brussels Sprouts with Preserved Lemons and Pomegranate.

Nathan Young 12/5/22 Nathan Young 12/5/22

Day 321: simply, one of the best

A happy repeat, marking a very special occasion: Day 321 is Nigella’s Chicken and Pea Traybake.

Nathan Young 11/26/22 Nathan Young 11/26/22

Day 320: sofa snacks

Delicious sofa snacks for the fam: Day 320 is Nigella’s Spicy Sausage Patties with Lettuce Wraps.

Nathan Young 11/19/22 Nathan Young 11/19/22

Day 319: a love that keeps on growing

My love for sprouts grows every year, and this year they made their debut on our table via the oven: Day 319 is Nigella’s Roast Brussels Sprouts With Rosemary, Lemon & Pecorino.

Nathan Young 11/18/22 Nathan Young 11/18/22

Day 318: kitchen fun

Nathan Young 11/13/22 Nathan Young 11/13/22

Day 316: remember ❤️

Day 316: Nigella’s Remembrance Rosemary Cake.

Nathan Young 11/9/22 Nathan Young 11/9/22

Day 315: a new veg box stalwart

A deeply gorgeous, seasonally beautiful and delicious serving of nubbly carbs: Day 315 is Nigella’s Butternut Orzotto.

Nathan Young 11/3/22 Nathan Young 11/3/22

Day 314: work from home treats

A delicious work-from-home treat: Day 314 is Nigella’s Squid Ink Spaghetti with Bottarga.

Nathan Young 10/31/22 Nathan Young 10/31/22

Day 313: fabulously disgusting

For all your fabulously disgusting and gruesome Halloween pudding needs: Day 313 is Nigella’s Blood Clots and Pus.

Nathan Young 10/30/22 Nathan Young 10/30/22

Day 312: a delectable Nigella Halloween Feast

Day 312 is a delectable Nigella Halloween Feast: an enchanting stuffed pumpkin, sea witches’ hair and blood clots & pus for deliciously gruesome afters.