…any recipe ever written, any meal ever eaten, is a story, the story of home cooking which, in turn, is about who we are, where we’ve come from and the lives that we’ve lived and what we say to each other – all those assertions of love, friendship, hospitality, hope – when we invite people to sit at our table and eat the food we’ve made for them.

– Nigella Lawson, At My Table | a celebration of home cooking

This newest cookbook from Nigella Lawson, who needs not an introduction I’m sure, was a rousing reminder for me that the food we make matters. It matters for our own well-being; feeding people brings us joy and gives purpose when days are long, and hard. It matters to the people around us; making a meal for someone is one surefire way to let them know you care enough to take time from your day and use it to make theirs better, to nourish them both inside and out. It matters for our families; gathering at the table at the end of each day, or whenever time permits, allows stories to be shared, memories to come back to the surface so we can carry them through generations. It’s a handful of minutes delibrately spent on the ones you love most. Food matters, and the stories told around the table, wherever that table may be, are the ones that stick with us…. 

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