Food Bloggers
Unplugged ~
For Fun!
“Something a bit different, not a recipe, a review, a cake, or a book…but instead more about other food bloggers and a game of tag. I know its Christmas pre-baking prepping season and we’ve not time to dust a rolling pin, but what the heck, lets have a bit of fun!”…….this is what the lovely Susan from A Little Bit of Heaven on a Plate said about the new tag challenge she posted a few days ago ~ thanks Susan, I like a bit of fun, now let’s get down to business and WHERE is the cake?!
The cake above, that I “stole” borrowed from your blog will do nicely thank you! As well as the one below too…..also purloined on loan from your blog……
This is a “tag” where I am supposed to “reveal all” and you all get to know me better; now normally you would not be able to stop me from gassing and rabbiting on and on, but I am quite shy when it comes to “publicly” talking about myself…..and, I am not usually a “tagger” on my blog, well I don’t think I am, as I have not been tagged before, so who knows! Susan asked me to reply to a few questions, and here they are:
1. What, or who inspired you to start a blog?
2. Who is your foodie inspiration?
3. Your greasiest, batter – splattered food/drink book is?
4. Tell us all about the best thing you have ever eaten in another country, where was it, what was it?
5. Another food bloggers table you’d like to eat at is?
6. What is the one kitchen gadget you would ask Santa for this year (money no object of course)?
7. Who taught you how to cook?
8. I’m coming to you for dinner what’s your signature dish?
9. What is your guilty food pleasure?
10. Reveal something about yourself that others would be surprised to learn?
Finally…tag 5 other food bloggers with these questions…like a hot baked potato…pass it on!
We must then use this home made expensive Food Bloggers Unplugged logo (below) on your blog and link up with the hashtag #foodbloggersunplugged on Twitter……
So here it goes, pour a LARGE glass of wine and settle down for my Kiss and Tell:
Karen of Lavender and Lovage’s Lies Answers!
1. What, or who inspired you to start a blog?
Answer: I was a freelance food writer for several years, but one of the major magazines I regularly wrote for closed earlier this year, which left me with not much published work to submit other than a few newspaper articles and some random on-line recipe posts; a friend suggested I write a food related blog, to keep my “hand in” and to occupy my food frenzied mind…….so, I did, and here it is some 5 months on…..
2. Who is your foodie inspiration?
Answer: A tough question to answer; there are many people who have inspired me, such as my grandmother and mum; then there’s Elizabeth David and Jane Grigson ~ both inspirational British food writers, and I cannot forget the many wonderful blogger friends out there too……I follow over a hundred blogs and regularly seek inspiration from them all.
3. Your greasiest, batter – splattered food/drink book is?
Answer: My old Be-Ro cookbook, just a slim volume of classic and basic recipes, but a treasured recipe book nevertheless. My other book, which I will mention, is Delia Smith’s Complete Illustrated Cookery Course, a wonderful book with surprisingly innovative recipes, as well as fail-safe recipes too.
4. Tell us all about the best thing you have ever eaten in another country, where was it, what was it?
Answer: Another hard question to answer as I have had the privilege of living in many countries over the years. I suppose the meal that is often at the forefront of my culinary memory is Chicken Satay, eaten at a little shack of a restaurant near Shatin in Hong Hong ~ my favourite place to go and I can still taste the chargrilled chicken skewers that were served with piquant peanut sauce even now……a shabby little place, but with the best satay I have ever eaten anywhere!
5. Another food bloggers table you’d like to eat at is?
Answer: HOW can I choose???? Okay, let’s see, I think after much deliberation, I would love to eat at the table of Jude at A Trifle Rushed ~ she cooks what I like to eat, regularly!
6. What is the one kitchen gadget you would ask Santa for this year (money no object of course)?
Answer: A Kenwood Chef Stand Mixer please, in baby blue!! You DID say money no object!
7. Who taught you how to cook?
Answer: My mum!
8. I’m coming to you for dinner what’s your signature dish?
Answer: Home made Chicken and Artichoke Pie with short buttery pastry, steamed spring greens, Jersey Royal new potatoes and a crème fraîche and white wine sauce. ( I am an avid pie maker and this is a star of a pie!)
9. What is your guilty food pleasure?
Answer: NOT so guilty actually! A bacon butty aka sarnie aka sandwich! Made with smoked back bacon and thick doorstep slices of bread, lightly toasted…….please!
10. Reveal something about yourself that others would be surprised to learn?
Answer: When I worked in Harrods, I met Princess Diana regularly and she often had clothes sent up (from my department) to try on and purchase……I have also appeared on television, cooking little steamed ginger pudding with rhubarb and white wine syllabub on Britain’s Best Dish representing the North East! (Nerve racking!)
I now have to “tag” five food bloggers……….here are my Famous Five! Now, will they accept my challenge to be ‘unplugged’ and will they have time to answer and have fun, I hope so!
2. Jude at A Trifle Rushed
3. Kate @ Turquoise Lemons
4. Janice @ Farmers Girl Kitchen
5. Laura @ How to Cook Good Food
I hope you all have a wee bit of fun and thanks to Susan for inviting me to Unplug and get personal!
Karen
(Food will follow tomorrow!)
Well, who would have thought! Lovely to find out a bit more about you Karen and thank you for passing on the baton, or should that be rolling pin? to me as one of your taggees! I will ponder on the questions, I've done some of these for my craft blog but not for Farmersgirl Kitchen. Will be fun!
I passed on a rolling pin! Thanks Janice, look forward to the BIG reveal about you!! LOL!
Karen
Karen,
I shall rise to the challenge and try to come up with some fun and interesting anecdotes as well as passing on the baton to 5 more food bloggers…..trouble is there are just so many people out there that I want to tag!
Thank you for thinking of me, I am really delighted 🙂 xx
Laura ~ De rien darlink!
Karen, I am stunned. It is amazing to be tagged, I'm going to have to get thinking about who I'm going to tag. As Laura says there are so many great blogs out there.
I'm delighted and so flattered that you want to eat at my table.
I hope you can get up to Brittany next summer. Or next time your in England maybe you can come for lunch?
I knew yours would be a good 'un and you haven't failed me Karen! Fantastic! 3 things I love…the Bee Ro cookbook (I have 2), the bacon butty and the Princess Diana story. Thanks for sharing…and congratulations on a new blog that has become so popular so very quickly! xxx
Its so nice knowing more about you. You write well and have a really great blog. I can't believe you met Princess Diana regularly!
It's lovely to know more about you Karen….And who would have thought, Princess Di, no less.
I love your blog, it's so well done and your pictures are just stunning as always. I may not post each day but I do read them…Love your blue and white china and your Xmas pud had me drooling, that one is going in the saved file for sure.
Are you back home in France now or still in Blighty?
Jude, it was a hard call, but you do an eclectic mix of English and French recipes on your blog and that suits me!
Merci ma wee bacon butty lover aka Susan! T'was a fun thing to do, thanks for the tag darlink!
Mwuaaa ~ thanks so much Baking Addict! XX
Aw thanks Sue ~ it is so nice to hear that you enjoy my offerings here on my blog! I am back en France now and getting ready for Christmas!
Karen
so nice to find out a little bit more about you karen, although to be honest, after meeting with you on Friday I cannot wait for you, me and kate to get together with a very large bottle of wine and really let the gossip fly!
Thanks Dom ~ would LOVE to share a BIG bottle of wine with you and Kate! Imagine the conversation……LOL, maybe not!
Isn't this great fun, loved your post so enjoyed reading it. What amazes me is we all have so much in common 🙂
Did someone say gossip and wine? Count me in!!! Great post Karen- I'm really enjoying reading all about the bloggers behind my favourite blogs!
love these answers! have really enjoyed getting to know you both through the blog and personally! Nazima x
wow, what beautiful and yummy looking creations!~ Fun post 🙂
I've really enjoyed reading this series of posts and getting to know more about some of the bloggers I follow. Your chicken and artichoke pi sounds absolutely gorgeous…think I'll have to have a go at making very soon!
The Be-Ro cookbook is amazing! I was visiting my Mum yesterday, and she had hers sitting out, which I spent a nostalgic 20 mins poring over :o)