Welcome to Sprinkles and Sprouts. Where the food is generous, garlic and cheese are measured with the heart, and there is always room for seconds!
Hi, I'm Claire, the food obsessed cook behind this blog. My kitchen is my happy place, and I'm passionate about creating dishes that are easy, flavorful, and perfect for busy families like mine and yours.
I truely believe that great meals can start with simple grocery store ingredients. We don't need a gourmet store or expensive products to make something the kids will love! (Although I do love a gourmet store and I never say no to caviar!)
I started this blog in 2014 to share recipes with my family and recount the funny, messy, and heartwarming moments that come with life in a busy household. Back then, I had no idea that my little corner of the internet would grow into anything bigger than dimly lit photos taken on my iPhone and the infamous "waffle no one likes". Don't worry, my newer posts have left the waffle behind. (I think!) Though you might still find older post with their fair share of irrelevant stores! (Like the one where the goat ate my pyjamas!)
My favorite food is pasta and I have two shelves dedicated to it in my pantry. I am happy to eat it every day and I will always go for a creamy or oil based sauce over tomato.
I also love scallops and shrimp (Prawns). I believe that all vegetables taste better roasted and I will never eat kidney or canned tuna! If you are serving me a drink then I will take a prosecco. And canapés are the best food to serve at a party. I mean who doesn't love single bite food that you can eat with one hand?! Not having to put your drink down and still being able to eat is a top tier party 🥳
My love of food started early. I grew up with parents and grandparents who loved good food! My 11th birthday was a "fancy dinner party" for 4 friends. My Dad was "Chef" and we enjoyed shrimp cocktail, chicken in a creamy white wine sauce with green beans and mashed potatoes and finished with chocolate mousse in crystal bowls.
I remember savouring Mum's crispy bacon and melted cheese stuffed bread rolls on Christmas morning, for the last 3 years of high school every Friday night was a Chinese takeout at my best friend's house and my favorite Sunday roast was always Gammon joint.
It was my Granny who introduced me to lightly seared tuna steaks and who taught me how to perfectly cook rice. My love of pasta started during my GCSE Food Economics coursework, where I wrote a complete guide to pasta shapes and developed 6 recipe cards for a fictional supermarket to hand out to shoppers. This was back when I was 15, and my Four Cheese Pasta and Garlic Bacon Pasta are still firm favorites!
I developed a love of smoked salmon from my parents and learnt to peel prawns/shrimp at a buffet on a ship sailing to France. By university, I was hooked on cooking shows and food magazines, and introduced risotto to my housemates. And it was at university that I fell in love with the writing of Nigel Slater after I bought his book "Real Cooking". I only bought it because I wanted to learn how to cook Lemon Sole to impress a boy! The boy didn't last but my love of Nigel's amazing way with words and simple delicious recipes did!
It is fair to say I am a through and through foodie! Although I am not a food snob! I love a cup noodle and an IKEA hotdog! My favorite breakfast cereal is Frosties, you can keep your All Bran!
Fun Fact: I chose an ultra budget wedding dress so we could splurge on amazing wedding food, and I have zero regrets!
Fast forward to today, and I am a mum of five, navigating the daily chaos of feeding a family with differing tastes. My kitchen is my testing ground. A place to adapt, experiment, and bring ideas to life. I love pottering in the kitchen. I love trying new things and seeing what hits well with the family. Some recipes take time! I have had a vision for chicken patties made with small chunks of chicken for at least 3 years. I think I have been through at least 15 versions and each one my kids push about their plate and eat the veg first! That's a clear sign that the recipe needs work! When I say that my recipe have a 5 star approval that is a five kid approval!
Being a mum has taught me that when I'm exhausted and the kids are hungry, getting everyone to the table, which smiles on their faces, food on their plates, and my sanity intact is a win! And those are the nights I look for quick dinners like Bacon Tomato Pasta or a bowl of Tuscan White Bean Soup. There'll be another night when I have more time to make the Pork Ragu they love or my favorite warming Seafood Pot Pies.
It's not just about filling plates. It's about creating meals that bring us together. Even when the table is full of noise, differing tastes, debates over eating their veggies, and arguments about who left the bathroom light on, I love how being at the table, eating dinner, connects us. With kids ranging from "full-on-foodie" to "hard-to-convince-to-try-anything-new", I've learnt to cook generously, adapt recipes to suit my family's tastes, and embrace the messy reality of family mealtimes.
And I write it all down, every dish I make, I have notes and ideas from! I scribble in notepads and I sauce over pages. I've lost recipe notes by putting a hot pan down on my notepad when I couldn't find a pot holder. Did you know that heat deletes writing from erasable pens! My kitchen is not always tidy, but it is always filled with food and I want to share that with you.
So whether you need a speedy weeknight meal of Creamy Cheesy Kielbasa Pasta, a slow Saturday morning making Bagels, a Cheese Soufflé for a dinner party with friends, or Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes for a Holiday feast. My goal is simple: To inspire you to cook with confidence, to adapt recipes to suit your family and to feel like a friend has shared their favorite dishes with you.
I'm so glad you're here! I can never really express how much your support means to me. I never take it for granted and I always strive to bring you the best recipes I can.
Take a look around, try out a recipe (or three!), and most importantly, enjoy every bite. If one of these dishes becomes a favorite at your family table, I'd be over the moon to hear about it in the comments. And if you'd like more easy family-friendly recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to sign up for my emails.
Happy cooking
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