Hi there, I’m Lucy. Welcome to my online home, Cheese & Chickpeas, where I share easy vegetarian recipes, strategies and tips to help you get sorted in the kitchen so preparing and eating good food can be a pleasure and not a chore.
Food is such a massive source of pleasure in my life and I would love you to find this joy in your kitchen too. Getting control of your kitchen and eating good food can help you feel better mentally and physically which then filters through into all areas of your life.
But it hasn’t always been like this …
I remember a few years ago, I’d had a lot of stuff going on and I wasn’t in a very good place. Since my twenties I’ve had bouts of depression on and off and I can still remember getting to the end of one week and I’d eaten exactly the same supermarket pizza every night. I left all my washing up until the weekend and it amounted to 5 side plates, a cutting board and the pizza wheel! So actually quite efficient but I still don’t recommend it as a lifestyle choice 🙂
I laugh about it now but at the time I carried around a nagging guilt because I knew I wasn’t looking after myself and I was embarrassed and a bit ashamed.
So how did I get from there to here?
It started with a new year’s resolution to waste as little food as possible. That led to me being more flexible and more adventurous in how I cooked things and not necessarily following a recipe to the letter.
It can be really hard when you’re feeling at rock bottom to make changes but I learned that big changes are possible by making little changes and building new habits one at a time.
What do I know about food?
I’ve been cooking since I was a child and I’m pretty obsessed with food. I read a lot about it and I know a lot about it. I’ve also spent a long time getting systems in place so that even when I’m busy I can cook good food and eat well. The big impact these little changes have had on my overall well-being is amazing and this is what I want to share with you.
What else do I do?
I live in Sheffield with my partner, Tom, and our two dogs, Amy and Sam. I am a social media specialist, I volunteer in the local community library and I have a love/hate relationship with running. My perfect day would start with a long dog walk followed by lunch in a cosy Peak District pub and a relaxing afternoon at home with time to play in the kitchen and cook us something great for dinner while listening to Bob Dylan.
Looking to the future of our planet we all need to learn how to eat more vegetarian food and consume less meat. I love cooking and eating vegetarian food and that’s why this is a vegetarian food blog.
If you’d like to receive regular recipes and practical vegetarian inspiration sign up here. I’ve also got a 30-day challenge coming up soon and you’ll be the first to hear about it!