Who would have thought it?

What started a few years ago as one little square in a far corner of the internet feels to have taken on a life of its own. For me, Instagram was initially a space to dip my toe in the waters of social media, but as time passed, I realised it was becoming much more.

Although I only post once a week, on a Sunday, I noticed that I was getting more and more comments from people about what quickly became known as my ‘Sunday Post’. These have continued to grow over time, and I’ve been surprised, touched, and more than a little overwhelmed by the extraordinary response my posts receive.

I talk about simple, everyday life – the farmers I know and the markets I visit; cakes, pies and pythons (in our case!); cooking and eating, and my cooking classes. And I make observations about the extraordinary world of nature that is so much part of my daily life.

These posts seem to have struck a chord with a remarkable number of people. I’ve had ongoing chats for years with many of those who follow my posts, so much so that we almost feel like family. There’s a sense of community and a return to a simpler life around what I do and what I share. 

The idea that these posts could be brought together in a book initially came from my followers, as so many have written and suggested I should do so. The seed was planted and after niggling away at me for quite some time, I finally found things falling into place like a giant jigsaw puzzle. It started to come together as though it was made to fit, just-so. The words, recipes and photos. I felt quietly excited every time I sat at my desk to add one more piece to the puzzle.

The result of all that puzzling is the book you now hold in your hands. I don’t quite know how to describe it – I haven’t figured that piece of the puzzle out yet! It’s a cross between a cookbook, a journal, a conversation, and reflections on the world around me. I see it being as much a bedside book just to read, as a cookbook, although I’d love to think that the pages become splotched and smudged from constant use. 

Belinda ❤️