A distant hum of chilli...

Wow. I have had the most inspiring weekend! It began on Friday night with some deliciously un-healthy fish and chips on the beach down at Sorrento. I sat with some beautiful friends, watching my 19 month old run in and out of the water, chasing sea gulls, stepping on shells and jellyfish (ok that part isn't that great), but you get the point, it was a beautiful setting. The next morning, I went out for breakfast with the lovely Erin and we both enjoyed some multigrain toast, with sliced avocado, fresh goats cheese and drizzled with olive oil. Superb! The boys then caught some calamari that we cooked up on a boat in Sorrento bay, lightly salted with some chinese 5 spice. Then after a long day at the beach, we headed off to see my most favourite celebrity...Mr Jamie Oliver.

Ok Ok, i've lost some of you already and I can hear groans of protest from others, but just hear me out. I find Jamie Oliver truly inspiring...not only is his passionate about cooking, he is a go-getter and is determined to make a difference in the world no matter what the consequences or how much protest he faces. He has made such an impact on people's lives, through fifteen restaurant which has become my new favourite place to eat, to "passing it on" and the Ministry of Food and also his education to schools over the world in helping kids to develop healthy eating patterns. Jamie is the real deal. I went to see him live with a few friends and left feeling even more inspired and passionate about food. He taught us during the show how quickly you can make home made dinners instead of ordering take away. He actually called Pizza Hut and ordered a pizza on the phone to be delived to Hisense Arena and while he (and all of us) waited for it, he made a beautiful thin crust pizza in the meantime. The delivery man certainly got a shock when he walked onto the stage in front of thousands of people! I also learnt about layering of flavours in a dish...like a distant hum of chilli.

Anyway, I could go on and on about Jamie but I'll stop there. My past weekend has inspired me to blog my favourite recipes and cooking ideas.

So stay tuned....there is lots of inspiration to come including my Jamie Oliver inspired weekly menu which starts tonight, some great dinner party menus that are sure to impress your friends and some beautiful brownies!

xxx