I love cooking. I love chopping, mixing, sprinkling, tasting, inhaling, stirring, whisking …

Unless I don’t.

It’s 8pm I’ve just closed my apartment door on the day and all of these adored verbs find themselves eclipsed by the need for sustenance and ease.

This was me on Friday night.

And on Saturday morning I shared with a friend my Friday night story, and the resultant meal.

And on Saturday afternoon, in the middle of an energy-giving, balance-challenging (aka damn wobbly) yoga class, the term “situational staple” was coined …

… in my own head at least.

Situational meal (n) : those meals that are directly connected to the situation in which I find myself.

Situational staple (n) : the nutritional elements, cooking techniques or equipment that, combined, go to create a situational meal.

… and I added an ‘s’ because there are many staples that can puzzle-piece together to create a situational meal.

I believe that food should be simple, but that we’ve made it more complicated.

I believe that outcomes are a result of preparation.

I believe that everyone should know how to cook … enough to feed themselves should an apocalypse darken the sky and render useless both the Deliveroo and UberEats apps … or just because it’s cheaper … healthier … or more fun.

So – that it what I’m looking at.

Easy elements that combine to make meals.

Easy meals that meet the needs of given situations.

…

Welcome to Situational Staples.