Day 365: lunch at nigella’s

Day 365 is lunch at Nigella’s!!

I’ve had a wonderful relationship with Nigella throughout this cookalong, and to be be invited into her home to dine around her family table was a true joy and privilege. I mean, really, I consider it a joy and privilege to be invited to sit around anyone’s family table; to invite someone into your house to share a meal with you is a genuine act of love and kindness.

I feel I should I witter on for pages about the afternoon, with a detailed minute-by-minute account of the entire proceedings, but for me, this wasn’t about pictures and recording every minute detail; it was about celebrating the end of what has been a monumental journey, taking it all in, enjoying the moment and spending quality time engaged with the people I was with.

We chatted, we laughed and, of course, we ate. A truly delicious afternoon of wonderful company, full of conversation about life. We gathered around the table to plates of pull-apart-tender pork with sweet apples, cider and caraway and crunched on slabs of crackling smeared with English mustard and sprinkled with sea salt flakes; followed by a delectable hybrid no-churn ice cream (dare I say a recipe in development??) for pudding, which we ate lounging on the sofas, chatting some more. And I mustn’t forget to mention the deliciously refreshing, herb and caper-dressed crisp green salad! A cracking afternoon.

And to take home, for the kids, a Nigella-made Boston Cream Pie - which, through careful packaging and a protective and determined father (me), survived the pandemonium of strong-willed commuters at a central London station, two car rides and a several-hour train ride in a carriage that was packed full and overheating. And even though this was baked for the kids, I assure you the adults had their fair share, too. In fact, Marcin saw off a good quarter in the first sitting!

And that, I’m sad to say, brings us to a close.

To all of you, my lovely supporters, friends and family. It’s been an honour. Your support through EVERYTHING is something I will hold close to my heart forever. If I’m ever feeling down or not good enough (which is quite often since becoming a parent!), I will think back to all your lovely words and wonderful comments. You blow me away, and you’ve restored my faith in humanity in a world where so many people seem to only get joy from trashing others’.

My dear Nigella, my mentor, my gorgeous friend. Thank you for bringing so much joy and deliciousness into our lives. Food is at the epicentre of everything we are as a family (always has been and always will be), and I will treasure the memories fused to every single recipe cooked, forever. This project, totally by coincidence, spanned across what was, what is and what will forever be the most monumental time in our lives. Your food, your writing and the community surrounding you saw us through the emotional challenges of adoption, provided comfort and uplift when we needed it most and brought a new, scared and very nervous family around the table. It has played a pivotal role in the forging of a Forever Family and the relationship between two fathers and their adopted children flourish into what I can only describe as pure, pinch-yourself happiness.

And to my husband and babies. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your patience and support. I know I’m not the easiest and get in a panic over just about everything, but no longer will you have to wait patiently while I take photos of everything we eat, watching it get colder and colder by the minute (though we all know it won’t be long before I’m holding you all back again while I take ‘just one more picture!’).

A main achievement of this cookalong is the boost in my food knowledge and the *humungous* augmentation of my culinary arsenal - meals to cook when friends come over; when it gets late and I’ve totally forgotten about the children’s dinner; indeed, when it gets late and I’ve totally forgotten about the adults’ dinner; and meals to cook on lazy Saturdays, when all I really want is a causal potter about the kitchen (and I’m fortunate enough that the kids are otherwise occupied, quarrelling over who’s pan is who’s in the toy kitchen upstairs). I’ve been exposed to new foods and have a newfound appreciation for ingredients and food cultures that I otherwise would have been completely ignorant of. I’ve learnt how to eat. And I know I still have so much to learn.

Thank you ALL for your support with the cookalong, your engagement, your lovely words, your uplifting presence, your donations and your downright loveliness. I will miss this project. I really will. If you’re visiting here for the first time, and wanted to/are able to contribute, I’ve also been raising funds for FareShareUK, via JustGiving, which is still open and accepting donations (link below).

365 Days of Nigella: 374 recipes cooked, £6,100 (and rising) raised for FareShareUK, a love for anchovies blossomed, friends made and a Forever Family forged. This project has been the reliable backbone of our life in recent years. I am truly sad it’s over, but thrilled to have eaten it.

The recipe for Nigella’s Beer(here cider)-Braised Pork Knuckles with Caraway, Garlic, Apples and Potatoes can be found in Kitchen and on nigella.com (link below).