Just after New Year, and struck with the realisation that I had lots and lots of cookbooks that I rarely seemed to use, I set myself a year-long blogging challenge – each week, I would take a recipe from one of my books (one I had never made before, if possible), cook it, and then write it up for the blog along with a review of the book in question. I’ve enjoyed this challenge hugely, both in the discipline of regular blogging, and in the wonderful new recipes, techniques, and flavours that I’ve been able to explore while doing it. My readers seem to have enjoyed it too, based on the lovely comments and feedback that I’ve received both here on the blog and on Facebook and Twitter.
We were doing so well until mid June! But since then, we’ve moved to a new home in Cornwall, and I’ve been working very long days (and nights, on occasion!). There is so much to do in our beautiful new home – including in the kitchen! – that I’ve finally had to admit to myself that I haven’t got the time to try to keep up with the weekly recipe challenge. Over the last few weeks, the feeling that I ought to be writing up a recipe has stopped me committing time to other blog posts that I could have written instead, which is rather counterproductive, all things considered!
At least my cookbooks are out of boxes again!
So, while I hope and intend that there could well be a few more Cooking the Books posts between now and the end of the year, they’re going to have to be on an as-and-when basis. For the time being at least, trying to turn one out once a week just isn’t going to happen! And I hope, as compensation for all my lovely readers, to be able to offer blog posts and tutorials covering many of the other thrifty DIY skills and sustainable projects that are going to be part of the process of getting our new home the way we feel it deserves to be, without spending the earth doing it!
Thank you all for your great support and feedback on the Cooking the Books posts over the first half of this year, and I do hope you continue to find posts here that you enjoy going forwards!
‘Cooking the Books’ was my self-imposed blog challenge for 2014 – trying to cook a new recipe from one of my (rather extensive!) collection of cookbooks once a week, write it up and review it. Hopefully there will be one or two more in due course!
Read more from the Country Skills blog >>
Country Skills for Modern Life 
I too have a lot of cookbooks. I took the decison to cull the collection. http://wp.me/p1OAIY-3ce
Oh, crumbs, that’s brave. No, I couldn’t do that!
No need to feel guilty about it though. The last thing you need to do is feel constrained by self imposed challenges. We have enjoyed it though, and at least you got to try lots of different ones.
Thinking I might re-instate it next year if things are a little less frantic by then!
I have enjoyed reading about the challenge and look forward to any future instalments – but I do understand the pressures of having to do it once a week! Hope the work on the new house goes well.
I don’t know how you could manage a weekly recipe post on top of your other posts, on top of work and all the rest! When I started my food blog in February 2010 I decided I could post once a week consistently, and that has worked out well for me but I couldn’t possibly manage more. Love your door!