SO WHO AM I AND WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?
Hi there! My name’s Michael, and I’m the face behind CookbookChef. I’m a father of two fantastic girls and husband to an often harassed but amazing NHS nurse. Life at home is busy and full of energy — and now that I’ve made a big career change myself (October 2025) to work shifts in the NHS, our routines are more unpredictable than ever.
My wife likes to say she taught me the basics and then stepped away, leaving me to figure out the rest in the kitchen. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with cooking and baking — not just feeding the family, but experimenting, learning, and making something new out of whatever we had.
CookbookChef is my way of sharing what happens in our kitchen — the good, the bad, and the occasionally burnt. I’m a self-taught home cook who loves food in all its forms. Most of what I make is simple, family-friendly cooking, but I also like to try something a bit fancy when there’s a reason to celebrate.
Every recipe you see here is something we actually eat. The photos? They’re taken in a small home setup right after cooking — before the food gets cold! Sometimes the lighting’s off, sometimes the plate’s messy, and sometimes the kitchen looks like a bomb’s gone off. That’s real life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Because I’m now juggling shift work, you’ll start to see more batch cooking, advance prep, and meal planning ideas — the kind that make life easier when time is tight. The kids are also getting more involved, helping with cooking, taste-testing, and giving their (very honest) verdicts on whether a recipe’s a keeper or not.
This site is about honest cooking — sharing how recipes from cookbooks really turn out, what tweaks actually make them better, and whether the timings and instructions hold up in a real kitchen. I’ll tell you what worked, what didn’t, and how I’d do it next time.
Got a cookbook or recipe you’d like me to try? Send it over! I can’t promise it’ll happen overnight, but I’ll do my best to get to it and give it a fair, no-fluff review — straight from one home cook to another.
So whether you’re a confident cook or just starting out, welcome aboard. Let’s explore new recipes, share a few honest opinions, and rediscover the joy of cooking together — messy kitchens and all.
