Our new food series on Parentdish profiles celebrity chefs, cookery writers and food bloggers.
Katie Bryson writes recipe features for us here on Parentdish as well as creating and styling dishes for the Good Food Channel website. The freelance journalist has her work cut out at home, cooking for her strapping vegetarian firefighter husband plus two boisterous boys. It does however make excellent fodder for her successful family food blog Feeding Boys and a Firefighter. She tweets @cookingkt.
Describe your cooking style in three words
Generous, comforting, and achievable
The weirdest thing I've ever eaten is...
An unconvincing slimming world take on the banoffee pie made using weetabix and toffee flavoured yoghurt - bleugh! It was at that moment I decided diet versions of calorific recipes are a total waste of time.
In my cupboard you will always find...
Couscous, noodles and pasta for easy weeknight meals, bread mix to make pizza bases, and American pancake mix for indulgent weekend breakfasts.
What would you cook for the Queen?
I reckon Her Majesty has her fill of fancy suppers, so i'd make her something simple but delicious like lemon chicken risotto with sun-dried tomato bread and salad.
I would tell parents of fussy eaters...
Feeding children can be SUCH a battle. Often it's not really the type of food that's the issue, but how long it takes to break you down and get you to make them something else! Hold your nerve, try something new once a week and don't give up. In my experience, if you get kids involved with cooking a meal they're more likely to eat it.
My guilty food pleasure is...
Cinema nachos with jalapenos and lashings of that plastic looking yellow cheese at the cinema, yes really - can't go to the flicks without ordering it!
My most memorable food experience (so far) is...
So many to choose from but Thailand comes up trumps: street food in Bangkok, incredible canapes at a Thai New Year celebration and a lobster barbecue on the back of a boat on my wedding day.
For my last meal I would eat...
Grilled halloumi with sweet chilli sauce, followed by Nigel Slater's creamy sausage pasta. A dreamy creme caramel for dessert finishing with a nice plate of British cheeses, biscuits, grapes and apple to finish - oof! If you're going to go, you might as well bust a gut.
I would never, ever eat...
Tinned pilchards. I mean, why would you? I'm not a natural fish eater.
When I'm home alone I cook...
Living in a house of boys I'm likely to prepare myself something girly like a salad or ratatouille. If I get the kitchen to myself I may go on a baking bonanza as I find it immensely soothing.
If I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life it would be...
Feta cheese filo pies with Greek salad. It's got it all - crunch, cheese, bold flavours and fresh ingredients.
My kitchen is always...
The heart of my home so it's full of conversation, music, children, friends, comfy sofas, coffee, and bubbling pots of deliciousness.
Number one on my foodies bucket list is...
I adore Raymond Blanc and have always wanted to go his beautiful restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons.
My must have kitchen gadget is...
Right now it's all about the Vitamix - a super powerful blender that can make soup, sauces and sorbets just using friction. We're talking cheese sauce for macaroni in under five minutes...
For can read other profiles from At My Table here.