New Years Resolutions - the foodie version

                               

Well its nearly 2014 and I am sure your thoughts are turning towards new year resolutions. I have a few ideas for you  so I thought I'd share them with everyone and hopefully inspire you to compile a list. As you all know I am a passionate foodie and its something that is really important to me so of course my list revolves around food.

• Keep it local, if at all possible. Try and buy food that is raised or grown local to you, this cuts down on food miles and means that you are directly supporting local businesses, it also means the produce will be much fresher and probably have less packaging too.
• Keep it seasonal, try to eat with the seasons, this will again mean that your food is fresher as its probably not had to travel as far, taste better and be cheaper. It will also introduce into seasonal eating as there is nothing better than the first local potatoes / asparagus / etc, as there are still seasonal specialities out there if you seek them out.
• Set yourself a challenge : learn to make bread /jam/chutney/mayonnaise, challenge yourself to learn a new skill which produces a food product, you'll not regret it and you never know it might just lead to a new career or hobby.
• Experiment with new herbs and spices, treat yourself to a new herb or spice you haven't tried before and learn something about it and cook with it. Think about expanding your recipe repertoire, you might end up with a new favourite.
• Share - whether it be a foodie glut from the garden, a meal with friends, something you made or even taking part in a food swap, share the food you love and enjoy with others.
• Try a new ingredient, next time your out shopping try something new you have tried before  and give your taste buds a treat.It could a cut of meat you have never bought before or a fruit or vegetable you have never eaten before.
• Visit somewhere new when eating out, why not commit to a new venue once a month, you just never know you might discover a new favourite.
• Support local artisans, whether it be butcher, baker, fishmonger, cheesemaker or whatever else get closer to your food and who makes and produces it for you. I've found most of them love to chat about their passion for their product and would love to share their knowledge with you.
• Grow your own, even if you've only got a window box you can grow salads or herbs and taste fresh food, you'll love it !
• Read about food, it could be a magazine, cookery book or challenge yourself to read more about your favourite chef or style of food. It could be foodie fiction (there's plenty out there), more technical books (Flavour Thesaurus is a good place to start) or even a biography ( I recently read Greg Wallace's bio and thoroughly enjoyed it).

So go on why not make a list, I am sure you will enjoy your foodie resolutions !