The year past...

About this time last year I decided I was going to leave my job in architecture and start pursuing my food ambitions full time, that was about as much as I knew last December, but it was definitely a turning point. It was during a trip to London last February that it became a bit clearer, the 'why don't I just open my own place in the shipping containers' moment... and from that point on everything seemed to move quite quickly. Over the following months I set myself up as a company, left my job, worked in a few London kitchens, designed my new space, logo, website, got the builders in, wrote millions of lists, and then opened... I waited nervously, and then some people came...

A little over four months later, here I am with my own food business based in two shipping containers, which look quite beautiful if I do say so myself. I opened in August, with no great fanfare, just letting people know I was there over the months that followed. It has been much busier than I anticipated day to day and the private suppers have been immensely popular, with bookings in place well into next year. I would say that pretty much everyone that comes through the door is both interesting and interested; I've met some really lovely people. Going from a job sitting at a desk to working full time in my own kitchen with the public is a bit of a shift, but definitely a good one. I continue to run the whole thing single handed, which is sustainable for an amount of time, but not forever... A break this Christmas was definitely in order before I collapsed!

I'm excited for the future of Cook House and beyond that too. Every day I think about how to make it better, how to keep it interesting, what is next. It's been hugely hard work, but I don't mind one bit. I like to think I've brought to life a place in Newcastle that is unique, it is lovely that other people seem to appreciate that too; well it would be a bit lonely and destitute if they didn't.... So here's to 2015, see you there...