Don’t Yuck My Yum!

I am utterly obsessed with apples. Especially picked fresh from the tree!

It may sound silly…

But you really do have the power to affect how other people experience food. The way we talk about different types of food will create an attitude towards it and make some things seem more exciting than they are (when you think all you want in this world is a McDonald’s and you get yourself all hyped up, and then realise it just makes you feel terrible), and others much less exciting than they are (I mean, broccoli? Brussel sprouts? What did these delicious green guys do to get such a bad rep?!).

Knowing this, I think it is important to have a rule to not “yuck someone’s yum”. Meaning, if someone really loves something that you don’t (olives, Marmite, pineapple on pizza) - let them! Isn’t it great that they are in touch with what flavours make them excited? Something that they might want to cook with and enjoy as a snack?

And by the same token, don’t let others yuck your yum! Here’s one of the wonderful things about cooking for yourself, which can sometimes be hard to find the motivation for; you don’t have to consider anyone else’s weird hangups about carrots or sweetcorn or whatever it may be, you can simply check in with yourself, think about what you might fancy today or this week, and cook whatever you dang well please.

So this week I am giving you permission to get back in touch with what you find yummy - not what everyone else tells you that you should have, or what you see everyone else cooking - really give yourself permission to play and not worry about other people’s judgment. And what better way to do this than make your own homemade pizza? It can be a meat feast or completely vegan, it can have double cheese or no tomato in sight, all the pineapple you can dream of (I’m team pineapple over here!) or keep it super healthy with lots of veg! And the great thing about homemade pizza is that if you are making it for (or with) someone else, it’s okay if you disagree on toppings - you can go half and half or make smaller, individual pizzas! Even lots of tiny ones - maybe challenge each other to make one for your yourself and one for your cooking partner, and try to guess what flavour combinations they might enjoy! Check out my homemade pizza recipe and my looong list of favourite toppings to choose from.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you have a weird favourite that everyone else hates? How often do you actually get to eat some of your strange favourites? Share your thoughts in the comments or on Instagram and tag me @TheFromScratchBody and use the hashtag #TheFromScratchBody so I don’t miss it!