Hello, I’m Ros and I’m a 28 year old food obsessive living in Hammersmith London. This a great place to live. It’s full of restaurants and foodie shops and I’m loving every minute of it. .
About a year ago, I finished my PhD thesis in mathematics at Imperial College and started working as a full time maths teacher. After hours I’m a wannabe chef and food critic. I enjoy trying to cook and eat all sorts of things, especially if it involves cuisines or foods I haven’t yet experienced. This website is my online food diary.
I started the food blog to distract me from writing my thesis. It worked very well. Now that I have real work to do, it has proved more difficult to maintain, but it’s still early days. Hopefully it will survive the transition from student to professional.
As well as blogging the food I cook, I’ll review restaurants and pubs that I visit and I’ll also try and record as many of my recipes as possible. Since I rarely cook the same thing twice in a month, this could be quite a feat. Feel free to leave comments- it’s nice to know someone’s out there reading this.
Contact me at ros AT roshani DOT co DOT uk
Hello, I’m Ros and I’m a 28 year old food obsessive living in Hammersmith London. This a great place to live. It’s full of restaurants and foodie shops and I’m loving every minute of it. .
About a year ago, I finished my PhD thesis in mathematics at Imperial College and started working as a full time maths teacher. After hours I’m a wannabe chef and food critic. I enjoy trying to cook and eat all sorts of things, especially if it involves cuisines or foods I haven’t yet experienced. This website is my online food diary.
I started the food blog to distract me from writing my thesis. It worked very well. Now that I have real work to do, it has proved more difficult to maintain, but it’s still early days. Hopefully it will survive the transition from student to professional.
As well as blogging the food I cook, I’ll review restaurants and pubs that I visit and I’ll also try and record as many of my recipes as possible. Since I rarely cook the same thing twice in a month, this could be quite a feat. Feel free to leave comments- it’s nice to know someone’s out there reading this.
Contact me at ros AT roshani DOT co DOT uk
Hi, Ros. Thanks for stopping by my site! Thought I’d check out yours. I’m in West London, too. Looking forward to reading more.
Comment by Jess — July 27, 2006 @ 5:50 pm
Hi Jess!
Hooray for London food blogging- especially West London- because it is the best! Perhaps will see you around Bill’s grilled cheese stall in Borough Market sometime!
Comment by ros — July 27, 2006 @ 6:45 pm
Hi, great site! Wanted to say hi as I’ve recently set up my own food blog and on browsing the food blogs there don’t seem to be all that many of us in the UK.
Comment by Julia — September 16, 2006 @ 5:52 pm
Hi Julia,
True, everyone seems with a food blog seems to live in San Francisco or occasionally elsewhere in the US. I’ll make sure I visit your site very soon.
Comment by ros — September 16, 2006 @ 7:07 pm
Hi Ros
We are launching a student magazine and would like someone to give student recipes etc. Wondered whether you would be interest–ed. If so email me back. It will be a free magazine going out in the first issue to student in Scotland.
Kind regards
Jane
Comment by Jane Roberts — October 9, 2006 @ 11:04 am
Hi Ros, there are tons of UK foodblogs… some very active, some only post occasionally. But we do meet every once in a while as well and have great fun together. A very mixed bunch of people, as you’d expect, but look out for wine tastings, cookery courses, workshops and potluck dinners - would love for you to join us some time!
Comment by johanna — October 12, 2006 @ 6:18 pm
Fab blog Ros - am going to recommend it to the other readers on Food P*rn if that’s ok with you?
http://food_porn.livejournal.com
Comment by Sajini — November 26, 2006 @ 7:54 am
Yeah, sure that’s Ok. I still haven’t figured out what these livejournal things are about but I guess it doesn’t matter.
Comment by ros — November 29, 2006 @ 1:52 pm
I hope this reaches you promptly - I wanted to seek your advice as am working on a food series for Channel 4 on healthy comfort food and thought you may provide some inspiration – you can reach me on 0207 434 6910 at anytime.
I do hope you are able to spare a moment or two to chat.
Best wishes,
john
John Hodgson
TigerAspect
Comment by John H — January 16, 2007 @ 12:29 pm
Hi Ros,
I am interested in your take on the following eating spots in London: Leon (four London locations) Fortnum and Mason food purveyors; and St. Alban.
Here’s why I am interested… these three location are listed on the Food and Wine 100 Tastes for 2007, and I am attempting to work and blog my way through the list. I am in the US, and cannot jet to London for these, but was wondering if you would be willing to be a guest blogger on my site doing a review for these places? I have no idea of their price points or if they would be too high for you to undertake. All I would need would be for you to visit each place and write about it (likely in an email to me) to be posted on my F&W 100 site. You would get full credit for your help, a link to your site and a thousand thanks in return. Any photos would be welcome. Please feel free to contact me for any questions. I have no time frame for getting this done, that would totally be up to you and they don’t have to be done at the same time. Please let me know what you think.
Thanks, Kate
(see my regular food blog too….http://kateinthekitchen.wordpress.com)
Comment by Kate — February 4, 2007 @ 6:02 pm
Hi
I tripped over this web site when looking for a recipe for paprika chicken… currently bubbling away as we speak. Do you use the La Chinata paprika? This can be bought at sainsburys and waitrose. The sweet paprikais lovely and smoky,the hot is quite fiery! Ive used a tablespoon of sweet and half a hot for a dish for 4 (one tin toms, 2 red pepperes, onion, garlic a bit of stock and parsley then season and creme frache once cooked). it seems to be really favoursome but I do think its paprika dependent and this stuff is different to the orange powder than mothers used to sprinkle on hard boiled eggs with mayonaise.
totally agreed with comments on claridges…. the staff were fantastic and really helped make the meal special unlike some fancier resturants.
For a good vietnamese … no frills, have you tried Cay Tre Old Street or viet grill (google it). I spent a month in Vietnam eating Pho from little ladies on the side of the road and this place brings the memories back. It has a sister resturant nearby the “viet grill” which has all my favourites from cay tre but even more… recomend the quail and lotus seeds,indochine beef, la vong grilled fish ( even has fermented fish sauce called fish cheese in cambodia, pugent odd but great in small amounts!!) then feudal roast beef , monkfish and taro soup but my favourite for fresh tastes full of subtle flavours is the vermelli noodles with crab meat and knotweed….. a unique taste. The place is also cheap which helps as I always want to order too much!
hope you revisit the paprika chicken and head east for the vietnamese … its really worth he trek
happy eating
claire
ps just had chicken … it was anything but bland so do try it again!
Comment by claire — March 3, 2007 @ 10:05 pm
Hi
Just came across your site - great!
Any idea where I can buy Sri Lankan groceries? I am craving fresh gotukola..
Sam
Comment by Samanthie — March 23, 2007 @ 1:47 pm
Just saw you on Market Kitchen. Great segment…I’ve always found restaurant guides a bit much, so it was refreshing to hear it debated.
Comment by Culinary Cowgirl — April 27, 2007 @ 9:44 pm
man, the hottest thing on this site is you! Love your work and try to cook some more sri lankan food please. Cheers misus.
Comment by MD — May 3, 2007 @ 1:50 pm
Hi Roshani, Thanks for stopping by my blog, how about octopus salad (I prefer it to a la gallega, the boys don’t like dressing, so they win every time). Look forward to seeing what you do with yours. Anyway, love your blog, we (especially the kids) love the pics of the mackerel and my eldest thinks it’s v.funny that you can scare people with fish heads. I know he will now test this out on people!
Comment by Amanda — May 15, 2007 @ 9:03 am
hi Ros,
I stumbled upon your blog by accident looking at how to cook goat, but I have just spent a good 2 hours reading through alot of your stuff and I am impressed with your imagination and creativity. I am a student too and survive on a budget of £20 a week for food so I do alot of cooking myself in order to keep to the budget and eat healthily. I noticed you cook saffron rice, have you tried cooking persian saffron rice called chelow? It does take some time to prepare but its the best rice I have ever tasted. I will be visiting this blog regularly now, keep it up!
Regards
Siamak
Comment by Siamak — June 17, 2007 @ 7:54 pm
Hi Ros,
After a hard days slog in the unforgiving world of the arts I came back home to see what I could cook up - which is my way of rediscovering a stressless world. Looking in the fridge I saw there was stilton left in the fridge and some minced pork - and lo … looking for inspiration on the net, I stumbled over one of your recipes, and your wonderful stories. Ispired by your laissez faire attitude … or was I, to be a little more honest, reminded that this is the way I like to do things I went on to stress down in my kitchen, made a wonderful meal … and wanted to say thanks for the a fine, entertaining and honestly-made blog (your parents sound brilliant by the way).
Best regards from an Anglo-Gaelic artist lost in the wilds of Scandinavia - where the food can be better and cheaper than Deep apparently is (the review couldn’t help but catch my eye … although I did wonder how you could afford those prices??)
Callum
Comment by Callum — January 11, 2008 @ 12:48 am
Hi Ros,
how can I obtain gotu kola leaves to consume or to plant to my garden straightly?
İ will be glad if u know
ibrahim
Comment by ibrahim tütüncüoğlu — July 8, 2008 @ 3:05 pm
Hi Dr Nanayakkara,
I just found this site and i must say, i absolutely love it!!!
Im in romania at the moment and was looking at your recipe for garlic soup. I love the comment about the vampires, and it seemed so apt, as i was thinking, ‘wow, im really close to transylvania, and yes im close to vampires too’. Haha
Anyway, i think that when i get back im going to try your rabbit tagine. It looks and sounds delicious.
Btw, can you e-mail me, so that i can keep in contact about how the exams go and all that…
Thanks and good luck
Comment by Raoul — August 7, 2008 @ 5:56 pm
Hi Ros!
Nice to know there’s someone else out there who appreciates offal, cooking blogging and recipes. Living in South Carolina you’d think there’s be more of an interest but it’s all supermarket food and processed crap. If you’re interested perhaps we could provide a link to each other’s websites? I too add recipes on a sometimes weekly basis as I discover something new.
De
Comment by De — November 7, 2008 @ 6:41 pm
Your spaghetti bolognese with extra mushrooms looks delicious.
Comment by Bret — April 11, 2009 @ 5:10 am
Hi Ros,
What an inspiring blog! I am starving now, and I will be back to try many of your wonderful recipes.
Take it easy,
Arthur
Comment by Arthur — April 24, 2009 @ 2:36 pm
Wondering if I can get your Chicken Tikka Masala recipe. We have been trying to make good tikka masala… there are so many recipes and just none of them seem to give us the correct results. They all taste too tomato-ish or too liquidy, and not creamy enough, or not the correct cream flavor… in a whole they don’t have the correct flavor at all.
The ingredients you mentioned seem to be right on the money for what we are trying to accomplish. A nutty ,spicy, creamy, slight smokey flavor… Any input on what brands you use would be appreciated too. What kind of cream etc?
Comment by Jenny — November 3, 2009 @ 6:39 am
Hello Ros,
I am married to an ex-pat of Sri Lanka and have been cooking curries for many years. We have recently moved to a village in West Yorkshire and I miss the local Sri Lankan grocery store I used to have in Surrey. However, the main reason I am contacting you is because I miss my stringhoppers and would love to be able to make my own, but I cannot find the hopper maker/press anywhere and wonder if you know where I might obtain one. I know there is a special machine available but it is very expensive and I really don’t want any more technical gadgets in my kitchen. I would be grateful if you could advise me. Kind regards. Sue VS
Comment by Sue Van Sanden — July 9, 2013 @ 1:59 pm