Recently, the wonderful food writer and eat what you want advocate, Ruby Tandoh wrote a piece about the nostalgia of food. The simple kind of food that gives you instance gratification. That makes you feel safe and at home and easily fills you with joy. And most importantly the kind of food that makes you feel like you. She talked about Mars Bars and cheddar cheese a lot (girl after my own heart/stomach). Whilst, I’m generally in love with food 99.9% of the time, her piece rekindled my love of food even more. It reminded me that it is only to be enjoyed. That it is never to feel guilty about and that it is a privilege that I have easy, ready access to it. In honour of food and the simple, but wonderful pleasures it brings, I have written a list of food that gives me great oral pleasure (maybe I should reword that sentence, but Imma just gonna leave it as it is). It’s a very personal list, as what food brings you comfort and makes you feel at home, can only be unique to yourself.

Hot crumpets oozing with butter (never margarine).

Jacket potato with baked beans (always Heinz), cheese and yes lots of butter.

Seasonal strawberries and sugar served at room temperature.

Fried halloumi cheese, nicely browned on both sides.

Thin pancakes served on Pancake Day with sugar and freshly squeezed lemon.

Baked bananas with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows down the middle, so it’s nice and gooey when you open up the banana.

Mum’s roast dinner, with the roast potatoes done just right.

Mum’s macaroni cheese with more cheese than necessary.

Homemade bread, still warm, so the butter slightly melts with raspberry jam.

Marmite soldiers dipped in a boiled egg.

Crunchie ice creams.

Crunchies.

Tunnock’s Teacakes

Hot chocolate overflowing with mini marshmallows

Fish and chips from the local chippy or eaten at the seaside in the wind.

Toasted brioche with Nutella and mascarpone

Fluffy pancakes served with strawberries and maple syrup on a lazy Sunday morning.

Pret’s chocolate mousse

Sweet potato fries dipped in Mayo.

Wensleydale cheese with cranberries on a digestive biscuit

Thornton’s Mini Caramel Shortcake Bites

Scottish Shortbread

Cinnamon and raisin bagels with, you’ve guessed it, lots of butter.

Marks & Spencer’s Raspberry jelly pots.

Plain bagels toasted with cheese and marmite.

Egg fried rice from the local Chinese takeaway. Preferably eaten whilst drunk.

Spaghetti served in any which way.

Walkers Prawn Cocktail crisps (the Daddy of crisps).

Homemade apple and blackberry crumble served with hot custard.

Maltesers in the cinema.

Bangers and mash with really creamy mash, gravy and peas.

Scones (pronounced like phone, no need to correct me) with BUTTER, jam and clotted cream.

Betty’s Fat Rascals.

Moist chocolate brownies. Oh yes. Moist.

Vegetable Korma with pilau rice and garlic naan bread dipped in mango chutney.

Pizza Express Fiorentina pizza (no olives thanks)

Fresh warm doughnuts served with sugar and cinnamon. This one is officially better than sex.

Nectarines in summer.

Clementines in winter.

Dad’s green beans from the garden.

Cheese and pineapple sticks, straight from the 80s.

Plain chocolate hobnobs

Rich tea biscuits dipped in tea (most underrated biscuits ever)

Lemon curd yogurt

Fishfinger sandwiches (please ignore Em Linthorpe’s view on fishfingers. She knows nothing).

Chocolate buttons.

Licked cake batter off of a wooden spoon.

Marks and Spencer’s Percy Pigs (my version of crack)

Cadbury’s Creme Eggs (I lied. These are my crack)

Nobbly Bobbly ice lollies.

Orange Smarties

Green & Blacks Dark Chocolate

Toasted marshmallows, slightly burnt

Corn on the cob. Lots of butter.

Prawn Cocktail in a glass.

Wagamama’s Katsu Curry

McVitie’s Jamaica Cake

Pub lasagne with bubbling cheese on top served with garlic bread and a token bit of salad (and I always eat every single scrap of it)

Lemon.Drizzle.Cake.

Enjoy your food and savour every taste. It’s a privilege.

 

You can read more about my thoughts on food and body image here

And you can sign up for Ruby’s brilliant tiny letters about food here.

I’ve been meaning to write this post for sometime, but Suzie’s excellent blog post here finally prompted me to.