I want this blog to be 'pure recipe' posts that I can share with you that I have created in both kitchens at home in the UK & France.

My life has always revolved around food. My first introduction to cooking was with my Nana Ada, (now sadly no longer with us.) Nana Adelaide Victoria (Ada for short) was a wonderful person, as well as a fabulous cook. Ada made the most amazing Yorkshire puddings they were a meal on its own! Her homemade rice pudding was so creamy and comforting, the crispy and gelatinous skin topping was my favourite part. It was always served with a dollop of her homemade strawberry jam. Her hot steaming bowl of 'Scouse' (a stew, unique to the Liverpool area made with lamb, potatoes and carrots) with pickled red cabbage was always a warming bowl of goodness, always greatly appreciated on a bitterly cold day after walking home from school. Her dainty jam tarts with buttery flaky pastry, just out of the oven served slightly warm melted in your mouth. Ada also made the most memorable poached eggs, perfect every time: set whites with a golden runny yolk, the best I've ever had. I'm proud to say, after years of practice, I have now mastered the art of poaching an egg.

I like to think that my family, during the 1970s and 80s, were ahead of the game when it came to trying out new dishes. My Aunt Carole who frequently cooked for the family, introduced different ingredients into the household. She was often experimenting with new and unusual herbs and spices creating new tastes and dishes that we continue to eat today. This was my first taste and introduction to a continental cuisine, not from a packet, but home cooked in our little terraced house in North Liverpool. I can honestly say I’m thankful to both my Nana Ada and my Aunty Carole for involving me in the kitchen, which has had a lasting influence on my love affair with food.

When I left home at 17, this love affair continued. More continental food shops opened in the city, displaying an abundance of wonderful ingredients. I could experiment with new ingredients, herbs and spices to my heart’s content. I became fascinated with regional and European cuisine. I became totally hooked on classical French cooking: simple ingredients with huge flavours. I love everything French, from the cuisine, art, literature, language, films to the country itself. So much so that five years ago in July, I downsized and sold my home on the Wirral Peninsula and bought a French farmhouse in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region of mid-west France. I split my time now between the UK, where I live with my husband, and our home in France. However, I'm still yet to master speaking fluent French and the art of making a macaron! I'm persevering in the hope that one day I may be fully integrated into French life.

My travels inspired me to cook, photograph and experiment with quality ingredients. I've adapted/tweaked and recorded all my recipes over the years. I have no formal training, I'm self-taught cook. I say 'cook' as I don't consider myself to be much of a baker, however I do love to bake bread, especially Sourdough. There's nothing better than the smell of freshly baked bread just out of the oven with 'lashings' of butter. In my husband’s case, salted butter and most of the loaf!

I have had some wonderful experiences and feel very privileged to have worked alongside some very talented chefs. For the past seven years I have worked at River Cottage, picking up some wonderful tips from visiting celebrity chefs. The knowledge they have passed on to me, has been invaluable. I feel very honoured to learn from the best and be part of the team on my annual visits. I look forward to the Spring event every year. More recently, I’ve had the privilege of staying and working at  Château de La Lande (Escape to the Château, on Channel 4) in France. I cooked for visiting pianists, opera singers from the conservatoires in Paris, who were residing at the château in August this year. It was a pleasure to cook their evening meals while listening to them practice each day (you can see me in their vlog here!)

I'm delighted that I have had so many the opportunities and still have the freedom at this stage in my life to cook every day, to grow food and experiment with good quality seasonal produce, and for this I'm truly grateful.

Why incabella? The name was derived from a Mayan Gold variety of potato. After spotting this potato in a magazine, (why not love a potato pin up) I thought it to be such a pretty name and as a variety of potato, quite magical, it reminded me perhaps of a character from a children’s book or perhaps a name of a flower fairy.

I hope you enjoy reading my blog. Everything I post is my own creation, adapted from research. My recipes are for sharing with my readers and I hope you enjoy making and sharing them with your friends and families.

Nichola X