The Cafe Cat

*Competition Terms

A meal for two including: two mains, two desserts and two drinks, to be redeemed at lunch or dinner time between Monday and Wednesday before the 30th of September.

I struggle to quantify how I interact with food on this blog as it is an evolving area for me. Inspiration or affirmation therefore, is warmly received from characters on the London food scene with mutual interests, especially since I cook without rigour and by what I feel is instinctively right. This comes from a lot of time, patience and confidence instilled in me by my grandmother but for those who are new or tentative to the kitchen, I can imagine it is quite daunting.

Tess Ward, a fellow foodie, personal chef and blogger, bases her interaction with food by the same instinctive means but at a recent and intimate event that she hosted, she also shared her thoughts on 'clean' food and encouraged us to play with spices, herbs and salts to bring our palates to life by our own rules.

 Nothing was overtly new here for me in terms of playing by response to taste but I was interested all the more in the concept of food that is lower in sugar and less processed and also the method she used to engage us as her students for the evening, allowing us to try for ourselves rather than tell and lay gentle inspirations.

I have since made a fabulously easy spelt soda bread, such as the one we devoured topped with smoked mackerel pate and am keen to make the sweet potato gnocchi we also shared and for which you can find the recipe below.
In the meantime, you can find out a little more about Tess below or head over to her blog, the Yes Chef, to see more of what she's up to. I quite like the look of the cappuccino oatmeal!

Tess, where are you from?

London.
 Why and when did you start your blog/career?

Sometimes you meet people and just hit it off straight away.

I met Virginia over a year ago now when I first started working in PR and almost instantly it was like talking to an old friend.

Her blog is lovely, one of kind and driven by her real love for travel, books and people.

If you haven't read it, I strongly recommend that you do.
In the meantime, you can find out more below in an exclusive interview.

Where are you from and why do you love where you live?

I grew up in Hampshire but since 18 I've been living all over the place really! Chile, Italy, Spain, Exeter, London... Right now though I'm living in Madrid for a couple of months, but I consider London as my real home. London is an incredible city but is missing one key ingredient: the sea. I loved growing up near to the sea on the south coast and I often get pangs of longing for the scent of salty air and the squawks of seagulls. And Madrid is even further from the sea than London!
 
When did you start your blog and why?

I started The Well-Travelled Postcard straight after my final exams of university. I studied Spanish, Italian & Portuguese at university so had spent my third year abroad and had been doing a lot of travelling. I knew that the working world would give me much less free time for travelling, so I wanted to use my blog as a way to travel vicariously and to stop myself being swallowed up by the London bubble! In my teens I had wanted to be a writer/journalist, and my passion is travel, so starting a travel blog seemed like the perfect way to do both these things.

Describe your blog in three words

Explore. Dream. Discover. (a Mark Twain quote about travel)

How do we know each other?

You got in touch after stumbling upon my travel blog and we bonded over a Starbucks and both our stories of living in Spain! You used to live in Zamora and Barcelona, and I in Córdoba and now in Madrid! I instantly hit it off with anyone who has the same love of travelling and living abroad as I do (and I can talk for hours and hours on the topic of travelling, as it's invariably the topic I think about the most) so we had plenty to talk about!

This is Tom from Daydream in Blue.

He's my fave blogging and adventure boy pal.

We met at a Nuffnang event back at Christmas and have since set forth on delightful dalliances together at markets, cookery schools and cafes, slurping on flat whites and discussing all things blogging and digital.

That's the best thing about the blogosphere, all the people you get to meet. You meet the odd tit but generally, the possibility for friendship is infinite so if I could give you one reason why you ought to start a blog (apart from sharing) it would be to meet new people, like my pal Thomas here.

Where are you from and why do you love where you live?

I've lived in London my entire life and I have absolutely no problem constantly letting people know that it's the best place on Earth. There's a non-stop rush of new things to do, new people to meet, new places to explore... if you become bored in London you've either seen it all (unlikely) or you're doing it wrong. 

To me, London is home, London is friends and family, London is excitement and opportunity and life. I have very little urge to move anywhere else and feel totally blessed that the place I call home is one of the most diverse and busy cities in the world. 

Why and when did you start blogging?

I started blogging back in September 2012. I'd finished school by then and was embarking on a gap year before attending Gloucestershire Uni to study Psychology. There was something about blogging that had always interested me but I'd never been able to find the right niche, courage or time to give it a proper go. I loved the idea of having my own little online magazine where I'd be able to publish whatever I wanted and have people actually read it. The process was slow but eventually I gained a bit of a following; I'll never forget the excitement I felt at the beginning knowing that real life people (a.k.a. not my parents, friends or teachers) were reading something I'd written... it astounds me even now! 

Starting my blog turned out to be one of the greatest decisions of my life so far as it has opened so many doors, I've gained a growing bunch of lovely new friends and it's taking me in directions I never thought possible. Finally finding a pastime that I absolutely loved and wanted to pursue gave me the courage to say "No, actually, I won't go to uni", which is something I'd struggled to put into words for three years. 

Describe your blog in three words

Laid-back, refreshing, inspiring

How did we meet? 

I first met Sally very briefly at an event in December last year. I don't know exactly what it was, but in some way I felt drawn to her* and I was over the moon when we began emailing and eventually met up again for a fun morning at Borough Market a couple of weeks ago. Spending time with Sally is like spending time with someone I've known for years and, what with the majority of my friends running off to uni and meeting new friends of their own, I'm really happy to have Sally to add to my little collection of London buddies. 

*not in, like, a creepy way, just in a "I want to be your friend" kind of way...

    

Where are you from?

I'm from North Carolina. I grew up in Wilmington - a cute historic town wedged between the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Fear River. I now live in Raleigh, North Carolina's capital in the good ol' rolling hills of the Piedmont.

Why and when did you open Le Animale?

I opened le animalé in 2011, just for fun really. Before I knew it le animalé was my full time business and I was all in. It is hard to believe it's not even been three years yet; it's been such an incredible time!

My animals represent totems, but still with a lighthearted feel, which sets me apart from polymer clay artists who aren't into the spiritual aspect of totems at all, and also from folks who take the totem aspect even more seriously.

What makes you different?

I think my in-between approach makes totems an easily approachable subject for everyone. I very much believe that animal totems can help us grow and gain new perspectives if we approach them with an open mind, but I also like throwing a bit of sense of humor and lightness into my work, because there's also nothing wrong with just collecting cute little animals! Posting new pieces so regularly (every Wednesday) keeps my shop fresh and allows me to develop my skills on a regular basis. Even though I'm always moving forward with new things, there's a consistency in my work, my brand, and my schedule that my customers can count on. Stylistically, the fact that my animals don't have eyes sets me apart in one more way.

What's your favourite thing to do?

I have so many favorite things. Creative things, traveling, spending time with my boyfriend and our dogs. I'm kind of a homebody, so when I'm not traveling I don't really go out exploring very much, but I love that I am close to an airport to head out to wherever I want! At home I work on my business, write, paint, play music, have pizza parties with my boyfriend, daydream, study random things. I also like to shop; hunting for a good bargain never gets old. I love that in Raleigh you can easily have a lot of your own space - a yard and house that are set away from neighbors and busy streets. Personal space and quiet time are important to me.

How did we meet?

I am often not so great at remembering how exactly I become acquainted with people, but I believe in the beginning you featured my work that you'd stumbled across on Etsy, and we started chatting, then eventually had the opportunity to meet up in London this past summer!  I love being able to meet folks like yourself through my business; that's definitely one of my favorite parts!

Describe your shop in three words

Cute handmade totems.

Meet Annatha. She loves cats, tea and the countryside. You can see instantly why she’s my kind of gal. Hailing from Cumbria, her pictures of landscapes make me pine after tumbling hills and soaring skies. What’s more, she’s also a keen adventurer and baker.


Where are you from and why do you love where you live?

I'm originally from Rotherham, but I moved to Cumbria for my degree back in 2008. I fell in and out of love with the place but eventually returned at the beginning of 2013 to start a new adventure in the Cumbrian countryside. I could harp on about how much I love living up here until the cows came home- life in the middle of nowhere is completely different to what I was used to, but for me it's perfect. The views are stunning, the air is fresh and it's so quiet outside. When my head is full I can grab my dog, step outside my front door and wander down to the river for a paddle (not advisable at this time of year, mind).

When did you start your blog and why?

I started blogging half-heartedly towards the end of 2012. I'd been reading a couple of lifestyle blogs and wanted to have a go myself, but I didn't really know where I was going and gave up after a couple of posts. I decided to have another go in January 2013 as a way of documenting my adventures up in Cumbria. Nowadays, I blog because it makes me happy. It allows me to focus on the little things going on that make me smile, and to share my stories with other like minded people.

Describe your blog in three words

Haphazard, cheery and cat-tastic (definitely a word).

Be sure to stop by and say hello to Annatha, she's warm and friendly as can be!