Wife, Mum & Career Focussed
With myself being English and my husband coming from a traditional little village in Shkoder, we spend a lot of time cooking and eating the traditional Albanian cuisine here in UK.
Being in the kitchen in Albania amazed me – ingredients are pulled from the garden, measurements are done by eye and hand, timings are guess work based on the power available, there are no recipe books on the shelf, everything is engraved in the mind, rehearsed over and over from childhood.
This is where My Albanian Food journey began.
I have a passion for food, cooking and design. I enjoy helping others and I like a good dig around – researching. Most of all, I love the forgotten about, beautiful, inspiring country Albania.
My goal is to inspire people to try the Albanian cuisine, cook Albanian recipes as we would Indian, Chinese, Italian and French ones (amongst so many more)! I looking to help those welcomed into Albanian families understand the Albanian cuisine, be able to cook it and know what foods are when eating them (allowing you to avoid that awkward ‘what is this?’ question!). I want Albanian guests when visiting places outside of Albania to be able to cook their traditional dishes like they would back home, adjusting to our cooking times, temperatures and most importantly ingredients.
I’m not a chef or a food blogger, I am just an everyday person who likes to cook and enjoys Albanian food. This website is my own personal approach to traditional Albanian food recipes plus, showcasing some of my own inspired recipes.
A big inspiration and support comes from my in laws. In Albania they grow, maintain and pick all fresh ingredients in the garden. Herbs – Rosemary, Basil, Parsley and Mint. Vegetables – Potatoes, Onions, Courgettes, Aubergines and Garlic. Salad – Lettuce, Tomatoes and Cucumbers. Fruits – Figs, Grapes, Pomegranates and Apples. Plus, there is many more that I am still exploring. They also look after and breed chickens to ensure we have a good supply of eggs.
If there is anything I need, my father in law will get it for me, whether that means to dig it up or pop to the local shop, he also works as a great translator when I am trying to explain what I need! As I don’t have the Albanian upbringing and the common knowledge, my mother in law has been great to help me learn and understand many different cooking methods. If I am not cooking, she is!
I want people to feel that they can get in touch with me about Albanian food, ask me to about specific recipes, or track down ingredients or old recipes. I want to be able to help people embrace the Albanian culture altogether.
My Albanian recipes are here to help you make a traditional dish in your own home, all tried, tested and perfected so you can get it right the first time.