We’ve been improving our cookery skills and recipe repertoire during the lockdown, and now it’s time to make that part of our new normal.
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives. Many of us have been adapting to the new normal – new working environments, new ways of communicating with friends and family and new eating and cooking habits.
As the pace of life has slowed down significantly, those of us who were generally time poor in a pre-Covid world have almost overnight moved from the world of compromised and readily available convenience foods, to a world of home cooking and even slow cooking.
Scratch cooking has made a come back. Cooking for comfort. Cooking for sustenance. Cooking for security. Cooking to let us feel that something familiar remains in this all too unfamiliar new world. Cooking has become a focal point of households’ day in a way that hasn’t been the case for many years. As long, bright summer days stretch out in front of us, cooking is especially important to make our days a little bit more exciting.
Research from Bord Bia has revealed that 23% of Irish adults have been learning to cook from recipes as a result of Covid-19.
It’s not all about banana bread and sourdough though. With travel bans in place and Staycations set to play a big part in our 2020 Summer, travel deprivation has made us expand our recipe repertoire even further. Google searches for recipes from far-flung places have been feeding into our Active Escapism.
46% of us are now creating more tasty meals taking inspiration from some of our favourite chefs and foodie websites etc.
One reason for this has been down to access to our favourite restaurants and takeaways being cut-off through lockdown, with no other choice but to try and replicate our favourite fakeaway’s at home.
While the country is beginning to open back up and a ‘new way of life’ resumes, we should be aiming to grab that newfound grá for home cooking with both hands and take it with us. Orla Walsh has provided us with some of her favourite ‘fakeaway’ recipe ideas for you to recreate at home.
Not only are they a healthier alternative to takeaways, but they’re also packed full of nutritious Irish meat and dairy ingredients to ensure you and your family are getting a varied and balanced diet full of family favourites.
Click on the images below to read Orla’s recipes
Homemade Burger
Greek Style Lamb Kebabs
Homemade Pizza