Welcome to my website. I’m Hattie, mother to three young children, a writer, journalist, gourmet, gardener, skier, horse rider and avid cook.

My job as a journalist allows me to learn new things and ask lots of questions every day. I often write about others’ homes, which gives me the chance to see plenty of great design ideas. I also write about food which means that I am constantly attempting to reproduce dishes that I write about, in my own kitchen. You can read my magazine and newspaper pieces under the ARTICLES tab above.

I live in Canada, where growing seasons are short and the winter is long, but I grew up in England, where the winter was short and warm, and the summer is short and wet. No matter the climate, when I was growing up, the most important question of the day was always, “what’s for dinner?” There was no pasta on our plates (my father considered that baby food), rather fresh broccoli covered in rich, yellow hollandaise sauce, fresh fish pulled that morning from the English Channel just a few miles down the road, game shot on nearby farms and vegetables grown in the fabulous kitchen garden at home.

Now, I prepare plenty of comfort food throughout the cold months in Canada and I long for the fresh produce of the U.K. and the growing season there. But the most important question of the day remains, “what’s for dinner tonight?” This website will offer stories from my journalism work, food and garden inspiration and recipes from my kitchen in Canada and my childhood home in England.