Sue Todd left the security of her office job for a new life and the new cuisine of the Netherlands.
I've just left the slog and security of my proper office job to live in the Netherlands with my Dutch boyfriend. The aim is to spend more time with our little boy (Fenwick, he's nearly two and a half) and to indulge myself in some cookery exploration and experimentation.
We're living in the south of the country, in the land of the potato eaters. Van Gogh was from a nearby village. It's a rich farming area and reassuringly above sea level. Dutch cooking isn’t sophisticated, it's hearty farmers' food – lots of potatoes, bread, cheese and meat. But there are also post-colonial Indonesian influences, and I've already tracked down the local Chinese and Moroccan food shops.
We’ve just acquired an allotment that's a 10 minute cycle ride from here. It's huge – about 100m square and we've got big ideas about growing our own vegetables and living the good life. After the first visit there, the signs were good as we found some brambles on the way home. They were quite tart, but Fenwick happily popped them in his mouth - the look of them seemed to far outweigh the lack of sweetness. I ask my boyfriend if there's a typical Dutch dish made with blackberries - no, he says, you just eat them.
Beef is incredibly versatile - hearty or delicate depending on the recipe
Real British cooking is rightly going through a Renaissance, with some wonderful dishes to try.
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