The first ever Tabbi Eats Supper Club…

I promise I will get back to the Leith story and how I started Tabbi Eats, but last Saturday I created and hosted my first supper club. This is a concept that I have been toying with for some time, a chance to demonstrate that healthy food doesn’t mean a tasteless pile of kale and do so in good company. The long term plan is to create a series of these events where people can eat delicious healthy food in a fun and comfortable setting.

First of, I gave myself a week to prepare and created a Whatsapp group. To make the test marginally safer than poisoning a group of complete strangers I decided my friends should probably be my first victims. I was, I confess, nervous about creating the event and felt like  musician stepping on-stage for the first time and I was also touched that every single person that I invited wanted to come along.

Next was the menu, what if they didn’t like it? what if it was in fact too healthy? Would they all just leave in favour of the chicken cottage down the road? Pushing my concerns aside I took a moment, calmed myself down and got paper and pen.

LET’S DO THIS!

Obviously, the food was going to be healthy, but as I’m Persian I thought I would put a twist on proceedings and combine healthy food with Persian cuisine (I swear this is not a mutually exclusive combination). After much thought, the menu went as follows:

Nibbles

Star shaped puff pastry with goat’s cheese, Italian herbs and honey

Slices of cucumber, with a soft cheese, basil and truffle oil topping

Spicy hummus and baby carrots

Starter

Kuku on a bed of salad with walnuts and lime dressing

Main

Tabbi Eats marinaded chicken, with roast sweet peppers and harissa quinoa

Dessert

Lemon mousse with almond slices

Once I had the menu set, I was beyond excited, I guess it was a little crazy to invent dishes for the evening but what could go wrong!? Thankfully, in the end nothing did (at least not seriously). I did not leave enough time to prep and so towards the end everything got frantic but the whole event was pulled off by the skin of my teeth. The hummus was delicious and spicy, the puff pastry was light and crispy with smooth goat’s cheese and the lemon mousse was suitably light and flavoured.

I hadn’t shared the menu with my guests beforehand so the entire evening was a surprise, I loved hearing them coo over what was on the table and ask “what have you put in this dip?” or “how is this made?”

It was also really interesting to hear the chatter amongst some friends who are in couples, I overheard a conversation that went “you never eat greens at home!” the response being “well this is really nice so I like it”. This mercifully did not start a full-on row but I think it opened up the possibility that healthy food does not have to be dull or tasteless and that was the whole motivation of the evening.

I was so happy that everyone loved the evening, the food and the conversation. Would I do it again, most definitely yes, will I have to change a few things, most definitely.

So, what did we learn.

1.     People won’t touch a seedlip non-alcholic G&T if there is either real gin or a beer available. Especially some of the guys, who found the idea of a G&T with no G a disturbing concept.

2.     Prep work is a real thing, one does have to do it.

3.     Maybe next time I practice the dishes at least 3 times before hand so I’m not flying by the seat of my pants.

With these clear learnings in mind, the Tabbi Eats supper clubs will continue.

Let the learning begin...

Why did I choose Leith I hear you cry? Well, in December of 2016, when the initial thoughts of a career change had come into my thoughts yet again, I searched the internet for inspiration. I looked at cooking courses, I looked at nutrition courses, but none of them seemed to combine the two. Don’t get me wrong, all the cooking courses I looked at were amazing, but I didn’t want to cook everything in butter. Then just like a Christmas miracle, I found the Leith Nutrition in Practice course, combining my love of cooking and the science of nutrition. The creative side of me was ecstatic that I would be doing something new and the scientific portion of me was elated that what I would be learning would be of actual use.

In April 2017, I began the Leith Nutrition in Practice course, at the time it had been running for two years and all the reviews for the course were glowing. Though a lot of previous students had said ‘it is hard work’ and they weren’t kidding.

The first day was a blur, I walked into this massive kitchen which looked like an episode of Master Chef, I was almost waiting for someone to usher me into a cooking unit and say “start cooking now”, but the voice never came and as I looked around the classroom it filled up with 14 other women. All of whom were different in age, background, ethnicity and ambition. We introduced ourselves and soon started to swap stories as to why we had chosen the class, some had come to learn what to feed their families, others were starting healthy cafes and wanted to know how to feed the health aware public and others were there to see where it would take them.

The head chef was accompanied by a nutritional health expert, both of which told us the structure of each lesson. Mornings were reserved for cooking and perfecting technique whilst afternoons were all about the science of food, my happy place. They then went on to tell us that each week the lessons would have a different theme and the intensity of the classes would increase, but reassured us that we would be able to keep up. The challenge was set and I accepted!

I thought it was interesting that the whole class was made up of female students. Is it just women who are becoming health conscious? Is it only women who want to create healthy yet delicious meals? Are men set in their ways and still prefer cooking with butter?

I don’t know all the answers posed above, but what I observed was that everyone in that room was hungry for knowledge, even if their goals were just to feed their family. Constant questions were asked all the time whether it was regarding a cooking style or what was the best alternative to wheat, how seriously everyone took the course was palpable.

Also, it was interesting to note that the professions ranged from a GP, professional chef, soon to be café owner, charity worker, stay at home mother, marketing, advertising…..the list goes on but yet all had realised that what we put into our bodies is of the highest importance.

Our head chef was a fabulous woman who had a varied career and was now teaching at Leith and was very much on board with creating delicious food in an alternative way. At points though, I don’t think she fully endorsed all the methods and preferred somethings staying the way they were, because taste! In fairness, I did agree with her at points, I mean poaching a chicken breast at a low temperature in a water bath, where when you cut into the chicken it was pink whilst being completely cooked was utterly disgusting. Although, it is good to know that those options are there if ever you want to lose the will to live.

Our nutritional expert was another amazing woman who was very experienced, would freely admit if she didn’t know an answer and her teaching method really put you at ease. Of course, I learnt things I already knew owing to all the science learnt before, but there were things that I really didn’t know and bewildered that other science/medical degrees were not teaching this to students. A very simple example was, I always thought it was healthy cooking with extra virgin olive oil, WRONG!!! That’s right folks, you should never cook it with, it doesn’t have the right burning temperature, if you did know this, well done!

The adventure at Leith had begun, the classmates had been met and those in charge had set the rules. The next 3 months changed my life…

The journey continues...

In my very first blog post I left you all wondering what was going to happen next! As I'm a bit of a tease, I then wrote about the food I found in beautiful Lisbon. But I think it is time to continue with the story. 

If you recall at the end of my first blog post I was starting my last ever contract and then I would be free! The shackles of the corporate world would hold me no more and I would start being my own boss. However, life hardly ever goes to plan and my last contract was extended but, when it was coming to an end once again and they wanted me to stay on, this time I firmly said no. A woman has to do what a woman has to do!

Really what I was saying no to was no more long meetings, no more office politics and certainly no more having to comfort drunk sobbing bosses. There were also mixed feelings about turning my back on a career that I had fought so very hard for. When I first finished my PhD, I was expecting job offers to just come knocking even if it was the recession. I wasn’t expecting it to be so hard I met with recruiter after recruiter who refused to send my C.V. anywhere without having had some experience in the industry. But despite it all I did it, I worked in places I hated, I did the long commutes and I climbed that corporate ladder all the way up to an Account Director. I was working in an industry that is very female dominated with many women at the top, I was in a very empowering position. I was earning a great salary and yet there was something missing.

Don’t get me wrong there were many happy moments in my career too. Some of the people I have met along the way have even become part of the family. But in at the back of my mind there was a constant little voice saying “I want more” and at times I could ignore it, particularly on pay day. However, the voice kept getting louder to the point where I just couldn’t ignore it any longer. I concluded in my head that I was a strong independent woman and I could start again and be my own boss and with that I took my first step into Leith’s Cooking School.

I guess what I’m trying to demonstrate here is that any woman can change their life. It is a really scary thing to do and it might not be successful but isn’t it worth finding out?

Lisbon, Lisbon, Lisbon...

What a city! Last year I decided that instead of a party with friends to celebrate my birthday, I wanted a quiet celebration with my husband abroad. Scrolling through expedia I came across a deal for Lisbon!! I had never been and had heard from family and friends that it was a must go destination. Feeling excited I booked it! We were going to Lisbon baby, well I actually booked the trip 6 months in advance so we weren’t go for a while.

As the time approached to go on our three day adventure the ‘Beast from the East’ as it got known as hit London. This was the biggest snow storm to have hit the UK in a very long time. Literally everything was white and as it is London, everything stopped working. I started getting a bit anxious about travelling but my husband reassured me that I was mad and shouldn’t worry.

So, we made it to the airport ok and the flight was on time, so far so good. While sitting in the plane I thought haha Beast from the East we have beaten you, we are off to warmer climes.

Lisbon was definitely warmer but in March, I warn you, it is WET. Armed with an umbrella our adventure began, first mission, the Portuguese custard tart. I can’t tell you how much I love these tarts and found an excuse to have them every day while we were there. The place we found to have the best tarts was Manteigaria, usually there is a queue going around the corner for these beauties but the line moves quickly. When you get to the counter you have the option of having cinnamon sprinkled on your tart or not. I opted for the sprinkle as I’d never had cinnamon on an egg tart before and by GOD was it good.

Next on the food agenda was finding the original chicken nandos! With some research, we found out that there is a restaurant in the centre of the city that has legend status and most popular dish is half a chicken. You can’t book and you have to chance it, going down an unassuming side street you find Bonjardim. There is no fancy interior, but you quickly learn this is where the locals come and some well-informed tourists. We are ushered to a table and given a menu, the waiter comes back and just utters the words “chicken” we say yes and the menus are gone within a flash. The waiter returned swiftly with a very large bread roll, cheese and butter, everything in this restaurant is done with great speed! We had been walking all over the city so we devoured the bread roll and eagerly awaited the main attraction THE CHICKEN. A few minutes later the chicken was upon us and I can’t tell you how good it tasted, they had evidently put some kind of garlic/chilli rub underneath the chicken’s skin, whatever it was it worked a treat. For extra zing, you could add their special sauce which was an oil based sauce with chilli and other herbs, I would highly recommend splashing the sauce on. All in all, a fantastic meal.

The last place I would like to tell you about is the Timeout market in Cais do Sodré, YOU HAVE TO GO! The selection of food, the atmosphere, and endless choice makes this a foodie’s heaven. Ok, I have to admit, it took me forever to choose what I wanted here and after sampling quite a few dishes I still felt I could have tried more! If I could go back right this minute and I wish I could, I would go back to the croquet stall. It is out of the main area and on a corner, unfortunately I’ve forgotten the name but it only does croquets and just get a selection and enjoy.

I hope this helps your adventure in Lisbon and do let me know if you have any other recommendations.

The future you chose...

If you were to go back 12 years ago you would have found me in a lab in King’s College University about to start my PhD. Having just finished my degree and being a completely naïve 21-year-old, I had no idea what I was getting myself in to! However, I was filled with enthusiasm, a desire to succeed and of course the notions of obtaining a noble prize for my revolutionising research. Obviously, reality is somewhat different but as I’m about to embark into the unknown yet again all the feelings have resurfaced.

You see I have decided to be my own boss, the captain of my ship, the creator of my destiny, don’t worry reality will seep back in again (I hope). After years of working in labs and offices at the ripe old age of 33, I wanted to do things differently. It hasn’t been an easy journey getting to this point and there have been many steps in between but I’m finally ready. Last year during Christmas when I had finished my freelancing contract for the year (more on that later) I had time to think and research things I actually enjoy doing and came across Leith (one of the best cooking schools in London, possibly UK), in particular their course on cooking and nutrition, initially I felt ‘I had found the one’ and then self-doubt reared its ugly head and I parked it. The course kept cropping into my mind over the festive period and I finally spoke about it with my husband who without hesitating said DO IT! A week later I booked on to the course and that was the start of the change. The course started a few months later and in the interim I took another freelancing contract to pay the bills! But this time I had something to look forward to knowing that at the end of this contract there was hope that my life would change again…