From Heather Penman....
Creative Cooks...
Many mums and wives (and all who regularly prepare the hearty family
meal) are unsung heroes in the art of cooking. Every day we sit down to
dinner finding a plate in front of us; consider perhaps a meal of
lasagne, mashed potato and a side of cooked, chopped vegetables. Very
rarely do we take the time to consider the vibrant colours and array of
shapes in amongst the vegetables. The orange carrot, the tiny tree-like
shape of the broccoli and the soft round spheres of peas. Likewise, the
mashed potato is a loving creative effort in itself. The peeling
preparation, its perfectly boiled state, the effort and determination
given to mashing and combining the creamy butter, milk and cheese;
producing something smooth and pleasant and oh so more-ish!
As always on my plate, I save the best till last. The lasagne, with its
repeated layers of delicious filling, cheese and pasta, blanketed in
golden brown, is the epitome of kitchen creations. When the kitchen
artist despairs in the burnt crust and the overflowing, bubbling cheese
that sets off alarms and creates billowing clouds; we must recognise,
and humorously celebrate, the amazing unplanned creation that has taken
place and the frenzied movement towards windows. We must take time to
reassure artists that all is not lost. The best is yet to be discovered.
The soft layers on my plate contrast perfectly with the crunchy topping
and we all delight in the crispy scrapings from around the top of the
dish. Take the time to let the kitchen creator know how much you
appreciate their effort.
As we thank the amazing artist of our family meal we must take the time
also to thank the amazing creator and provider of the ingredients. For
creating interesting vegetables we can eat, for giving us an
appreciation of, and the ability to experience a marvellous variety of
tastes, textures and colours. For creating beans that have secret little
pods hiding inside, for sweetcorn which can be unwrapped like an
exciting present, for watermelons which create all manner of sweet
treats and pip spitting competitions. God the creator of all things big
and small is the biggest and most inspirational artist of all!