Happily planted in Yorkshire, Sabrina shares the food love
June is here and I hate to say it but so far, I don’t think I’ve been coping terribly well with the stress of the year. I am by no means a negative Nelly and shall not paint 2024 as an ‘Annus Horribilis’ by any stretch of the imagination but as daily life goes, I’ve felt a little squeezed this year.
I get the feeling that many of us are feeling a similar way and perhaps this is somewhat because this is the first year since before the pandemic that actually feels totally normal and perhaps busier than ever before.
So what is the cure to this kind of chaos? How do we strike a balance between needing to work harder than ever before, just to pay the bills and cope with the rising cost of living and actual holding onto some shred of sanity before it all falls apart? The truth is, dear reader, I do not know. I’m fairly sure I would be Yorkshire’s answer to the Dalai Lama if I did and well, very few of us have the capability of striking a true balance in life. ‘Peaks and troughs, my dear, peaks and troughs!’ I hear this Hyacinth Bucket (Its bou-quetttttt) shrill voice in my head saying those words sometimes when I feel a little overwhelmed and it reminds me that acceptance is sometimes more valuable than change.
But as a stubborn Capricorn, I have always strived for perfection. Yes, it is tiring and highly overrated to be this way but it is a curse of my persona that I can’t shake off no matter how hard I’ve tried.
The one thing I’ve realised in my time on this earth is that it is often the smallest things that bring the greatest pleasure. The smell of fresh coffee or toast, a gentle stroll in the outdoors, a nice hot bath or a really well-made cup of tea… all wonderfully restorative and minimal effort.
In my case, cooking without pressure does uplift me a great deal and nothing makes me happier than a successful bake; usually because I’m not a naturally gifted baker but I have worked hard to write the simplest, most straightforward, pared-down recipes that need no special equipment and instil confidence to all.
One such recipe is this beautiful Persian flatbread called Naan Barbari. It really is ridiculously simple and you need ZERO baking experience or skills to make it and best of all? You only need to knead it for a few minutes and you can make it any shape you like. It’s the kind of doughy therapy you didn’t know you needed and nothing ever tastes better than freshly baked bread you made yourself.
So whatever you need to do for the last half of the year to restore (some of) your sanity, do it. It is well worth the investment and given the fact that we are all intelligent human beings, we all know what we need to do to look after ourselves but sometimes life gets in the way and we need a gentle reminder and ‘gentle’ is the key word here… so be gentle to
