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When I interviewed Carl Honoré, author of In Praise of Slow, for our August ECO issue, he revealed that one of the experiences that brings him the most peace is cooking. Since embarking on the 100-mile diet, this notion has really rung true for me, as I had forgotten just how enjoyable cooking can be. Initially we were cooking for necessity – if we didn’t, we’d be living off raw vegetables or going hungry! But as the diet has progessed and we’ve become more adventurous with our culinary attempts, the process of cooking each evening and on the weekends has become one of inherent pleasure. Lizzy’s talent for making delicious salads has quickly emerged and her first attempt at vegetable lasagne was a delight, while Alice’s foray into making her own ravioli has inspired us all to try our own varieties. I’ve been experimenting with a kind of Indian-inspired theme such as chicken sauteed in a yoghurt garlic sauce, served with fresh tomato atop a roti-style bread (made from flour, water and avocado oil) and after recently discovering that a friend’s mother has a curry-leaf bush in her yard, my next challenge is making a hearty curry! It’s funny how cooking things from scratch really doesn’t take as long as people might think and there’s a certain comfort in knowing where everything has come from. Today I made 100-mile fettucine (from Knotsbury Farm Eggs and Kialla Flour) and tried my hand at a ravioli (with a filling of field mushrooms, Barambah Fetta, garlic and oregano), and even managed to find time for a home-made apple pie (short-crust pastry made from Knotsbury Farm Eggs, Kialla Flour, Mandala Grove Avocado Oil and honey, and then filled with stewed apples). And not only is cooking a great way to relax, but it also gives you a reason to invite friends and family over to test your culinary creations. If your kitchen set-up allows for it, having friends sit around with you chatting while you prepare a meal is a true joy

Each Thursday we receive our box of fruit and vegetables from Food Connect, who kindly ensure that all of the contents of the box come from within the 100-mile radius. And each week the mix of what we receive is different, depending on what the farmers have available, and the anticipation of what we might receive adds a simple excitement to our Thursday afternoons. This week we received bananas and strawberries for the first time, which was a treat! The great thing about not knowing what we will be receiving is that we’ve learned to create dishes from whatever we get, whether it be soups, salads, quiches or elaborate pasta dishes. After the entertaining process of of divvying everything up (it’s funny how much value you can place on a certain vegetables), the act of arriving home laden with a box of fresh fruit and vegetables has a certain nostalgic charm to it.