The Wild Thyme and Sweet Pea project found its roots when it was plucked excitedly from the garden, washed briskly in a basin of water and lovingly left out to dry in a soothing marinade of vision and ambition.
Like the foundation of all big ideas, they grew from moist and loving soils, which gave lease of life to their sprouts and leaves and defiant ambition to reach the sun above. And Wild Thyme is no exception.
In our century of convenience products and time-constraints, it is not always easy or appealing to cook for ourselves - and in this fatal rejection of our ancestral history, we are departing from the spirit of cooking which is here to fill us with joy and contentment.
My name is Matt, I’m a city-dweller and apartment hoverer who has incessant dreams about converting urbanscapes into thriving greenscapes. There is nothing particularly ideal about where I live or what occupies my waking hours, except my passion for simplicity and efficacy in the kitchen. Although living on the ground floor of the apartment complex and having no backyard of my own, I always manage to end up with bags of parsley, basil and oregano as generous donations from family.
Jasmin skillfully arranges the food, chooses the crockery and appropriate frame and lighting for all of the photos you see here on Wild Thyme and Sweet Pea, and her commendable efforts could not go without recognition. Without her tireless application, we would not be where we are today.
I thoroughly believe that earning a trump card in the kitchen is not accomplished by owning the best equipment or even having the right ingredients at hand. As a highly developed race of creative individuals as we are human, I believe our blessing is in the power to synthesise from our environment and to channel innovation and zeal into every signature dish we create.
Like the wild thyme herb, which grows in outward bushy motions and enjoys laying low in shade and in sun according to its temperament, part of this digest is an ode to celebrating the dishes of summer and spring, whilst the other a calling to winter and autumn as represented by the sweet pea - a poisonous but deliciously scented pest. Who knew that cooking could bear such a strange duality?
Wild Thyme and Sweet Pea came to me when in the very busy Sydney kitchens and at one stage a keenly faced waitperson, cooking and serving for mass audiences and in reflection of the moments of torment when I would have to return home and cook for another, equally demanding audience. Thus, it is my mission to make writing about food unpretentious, accessible, humourous and easy to understand. After all, I firmly believe that a great cook is born into all of us and we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be discouraged by others who would tell us otherwise.
Over time, I hope for the digest to prosper with visitors into its cyber caverns, each willing to view and comment and leave behind a touch trace of sentiment in this busy and distracting day in age.
If you share in my vision, I heartily welcome you to partake in all that is on offer here and have many delighted return visits.
- Yours faithfully, elbow deep in garden mulch and bitter green orange peels.
Wild Thyme and Sweet Pea is best viewed with a minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels or higher, on a standards compliant browsers such as Safari or Firefox. Posts are frequently written, reviewed and edited on Ubuntu 8.10 and Windows XP, using a faithful and dependable AMD-based dual-core processor. Ideas come about through inspiration from everyday cooking experiences and occasionally from cookbooks, which can be overpoweringly pretentious. This digest is powered by the mighty WordPress and is hosted by Media Temple.
