I’M MAMA BUBBLE…

AKA WINNIE 😉

I like to think that I am a colourful person who loves life and spending time with friends and family. My friends may call me the ‘life of the party’, I must say that since becoming a mum of 2 that side of me has kind of diminished but only a little thank God. My relationship with food is a deep and long one, sometimes it baffles me that I have chosen to start a catering business but then again maybe not as surprising as some of my fondest memories involves me, the people I love and food.

I can’t lie I enjoy feeding people I think that’s my way of nurturing relationships, showing warmth, being there for my loved ones in times of happiness or sadness. I do not underestimate the healing power or the joy that a meal made from the soul brings. That power is what I love and respect about food how it introduces warmth, love and closeness in any setting.

ME & FOOD

My journey with food hasn’t always been a cordial one and that can be seen in my weight journey through life. I think this amuses me as I have always had a weight problem yoyoing up and down at different stages in my life at the worst being almost 24 stone ….. I mean if that was not an indication of an unhealthy relationship with food, I don’t know what is.

But looking back I must say that time was also a time of learning as it was the time when I started learning how to cook and for the first time experimenting truly with flavours, ingredients and watching them come to life. I will not lie sometimes very badly. I would find a traditional dish and cook it till no end and eat that for as long as it took me to master how to make it. Trust me this could be months and could be agony for the people round me, eating jollof rice for 4 months straight wasn’t exactly healthy but then as I said this was a time of learning……

MAMA WINNIE…

My influences also include my mother Mama Winnie. Looking back my mother does use food for everything …. In the Nigerian culture food is ‘IT’. It is used to celebrate, mourn, introduce, host…… you name it food MUST be present. The lack of food is a clear indication of the hosts lack of care of whatever the situation is, which I always found a little funny but then getting older I think I began appreciating the power and potency behind food…… You see what I mean when I say in my life, I have always had a relationship with food. But my mother would always take a nice traditional dish and then include a spice or herb that would bring some kind of twist to it. This was what I think initiated the birth of my intrigue or curiosity to playing/experimenting with spices and flavours.

Then there is my love for cooking shows something I came across after University. Watching shows like Masterchef, Come dine with me, watching Nigella Lawson, The Great British Bake off, The Food Network just to name a few and seeing how people would reinvent otherwise mundane everyday dishes taught me not to ‘box’ myself but that it was ok to experiment and play with flavours and be bold and daring with my cooking.

COOKING & ME

I think this began my healthier relationship with food learning how to respect it and bring the best out of simple everyday ingredients….. and I love cooking, truly I do. It is something I do and can feel my mood and soul in the food once prepared. I know that may come across as weird but it’s true. I can taste whatever mood I am in in the finished product. And most importantly relish at what that brings to me when eating, whether it has made me happier or comforted me, it always left me in a better place….. I think my dear readers that’s what they call ‘SOUL FOOD’.

Also learning how to respect food dare I say has helped me to gain perspective on how to respect my body especially after having 2 kids. Also learning and playing with flavours has taught me that I can apply this to any kind of food the options are limitless. It doesn’t matter if I am making a meal with white rice, brown rice, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, white or brown pasta the soulfulness and deliciousness doesn’t need to be compromised.

AFRICAN-BRITSH FUSION

Fusing my heritage and backgrounds together I like to think has given me an edge. I like to think when I cook one won’t be able to tell where exactly I am from as I cook my African dishes as a British woman and my British dishes as a Nigerian woman. I am all about the fusion of herbs and spices and dare I say being as bold as I need to be. I love to see the delight and surprise on people’s faces when they try my dishes.

Making home cooked meals for all to enjoy is very important to me…. As a mum of 2 (both 2 and 5) I understand what challenges feeding children bring and I also want to bring that joy and warmth that food gives me to my children in a wholesome and loving way. I must say my children are my most honest and frequent critics. If they don’t buy it well there is a very high chance that people won’t.

The ethos I would like to think of Mama Bubbles kitchen is to make that warmth, deliciousness and love of home- made cooking accessible to everyone both young and old because let’s face it the ‘The warmth good food brings is priceless…….. for everything else there is Mastercard’.

Welcome to my world and Happy Noshing x