Joy-led kitchen creativity has consistently been the thing that keeps me going. It’s got me through the toughest times of my life. . When I started doing ‘weird things’ with food, I could barely see over the kitchen counter. Early in my life that passion gave itself to serving my sugar addiction (I was 240lbs/20 stone at 20 years old), but creativity also helped me lose the weight I’d piled on; I spent hours concocting ‘alternative’ dishes as I shed half my body weight. . Creating in the kitchen was what led me into eating vegan, and then raw vegan for two years (I wanted to make all the amazing-looking raw food deserts!). And then fermentation led me onwards to an ancestral diet which healed my 5-year-lack-of-a-cycle, enabling me to conceive naturally. . Now, 10 years into eating ancestrally, I couldn’t do my life any other way. I get so much joy from working with ingredients from people who care about what they are growing/raising and I love alchemising them in my tiny kitchen into fizzy ferments, yummy bread or simple, delicious meals. . And so, when I see that same passion in others I am magnetised to it. I love the life, enthusiasm and care that I see in their eyes and taste in their food. @ladivinapizzafirenze is a place that I get. Their pizza is sourdough and their ingredients locally-sourced. The deliciousness, the welcome, the pride and the joy – it is catching (as you can see from my smile!). . The slice in my hands is tomato, red onions previously cooked in chianti and gorgonzola. My other favourite was a pizza filled with slices of Tuscan soppressata (head cheese) which I really want to try and recreate here at home. . Thank you @ladivinapizzafirenze for having a restaurant that I am *really* happy to patronise. And for making the day of my 8 year old son (there are more pictures, including his huge pizza, in my story today).