In Memory of Corinne van der Meij-Westmaas
Mother, Grandmother, Great-grandmother
This cookbook blog is dedicated to my mother, Corinne, who taught me that love is best expressed through food.
I have a treasured photograph that perfectly captures who she was: sitting in the backseat of our car, cooking on a gas range set on a table in the rain. The back door open, an umbrella protecting her makeshift kitchen, a plate in one hand while stirring a pan with the other. Rain or shine, nothing stopped her from cooking for her seven family members.
Our family’s journey took us from the Netherlands to Turkey, Colombia, and Kenya. In each country, my mother embraced the local cuisine, collecting recipes and adapting them to become part of our family’s story. Every dish carried memories of the places we’d lived and the people we’d met.
I originally created this cookbook when we moved from the Netherlands to the UK, wanting to preserve these recipes for my children. Now, as they’ve grown and created homes of their own, they long for the familiar tastes of their childhood. This blog is for them – so they can recreate the dishes that taste like home, no matter where life takes them.
Every recipe here carries a piece of our family’s history and my mother’s love. I hope they bring you the same comfort and joy they’ve brought to our family for generations.
With love, Peter
