About Me

2012 was an appalling year for me. It was the Year of the Dragon and according to my Chinese horoscope I should have basically stayed in bed for the entire year - the horoscope was right. Sadly, this wasn't an option and everything that could go wrong just about did. Probably the worst thing about the year was that the relationship I had been in for ten years (one third of my life!) ended. Whilst we were going through the horror of the separation, I survived by watching Gordon Ramsay's 100 Recipes to Stake Your Life On on the BBC Lifestyle channel which accompanied the book Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course. It became something of a meditative experience, watching Gordon in his amazing home kitchen, talking me through each recipe, or how to buy fish or suggesting ideas for tasty meals on a budget. "If I make it through this," I promised myself, "I will buy this book and cook my way through every single recipe. At the end of that, I will be one of two things: recovered or a bloody good cook. Either way, result."

So here I am, on the other side of it all, re-starting life with Gordon Ramsay as my culinary life coach. There was just one problem... I also needed to lose weight. The end of a relationship was not, for me, a time at which I could really focus on my own health and getting a good amount of exercise and as a result, I came back home to New Zealand about 10 pounds heavier than when I left. "Hey!" I hear you cry, "That's not bad!" Ah, but my dear friends, I neglected to mention that I already had an additional 20 pounds to lose. These things add up. 

Happily, these things can also be taken care of with the right course of action and a little determination, so I joined the Weight Watchers Unlimited programme. But here comes the rub - how does one cook your way through a recipe book of one of the world's finest chefs and still lose weight? Adaptation, substitution and imagination - and a little blogging to document the journey. Et voila! The Kitchenmaid's Tale is born.

Disclaimers: I give you the ProPoints allowance for all of the recipes but these are based on my estimations and workings out. I'm not a representative of Weight Watchers in any way, just an enthused cook looking to shed a few pounds.