FFID's April Round-Up

I used to publish monthly Instagram round-ups or little snippets of my life and kind of stopped for some reason, focusing more on restaurant reviews. I think it's because more and more people are reading the blog or following me on social media, so I feel a little bit shy when talking about my life. 


Until last summer I was typing on my laptop not really knowing who, if anyone, was reading the blog but now it’s a little different as I organise events like the tours or the movie club where I can actually meet people who know about my (food) life, while I know nothing about them. It's weird when the virtual world becomes a reality but I have to say that meeting people is my favourite part of this whole experience and keeps me motivated.

Anyway, I shouldn't lose the personal side of the blog and decided to go back to my round-ups and even maybe give some more 'behind the blog' insights. If you have any suggestions or feedback on what you'd like to see more or less of on FFID you're always welcome to leave comments.

Time to go back to to my round-up though, so here are a few of my April highlights:

The month started very well with a trip to Paris. I hadn't been to France for about 7 months and it felt like I needed a little break. I didn’t visit my parents but spent quality time with Mr. FFID. We only stayed 3 days and so I switched off the Internet on my phone (blog and social media) and really enjoyed it! I ate so many macarons that I was kind of sick of them at the end but that didn’t last long. 

When I meet people who read my blog they sometimes ask me if I can cook, I think they imagine me eating 3 times a day in a restaurant. I probably eat out once a week at most (cafes or restaurants) and eat at home the rest of the time. I love uncomplicated food that doesn’t require too much effort. A lot of the time I eat healthy meals that are so boring that I don’t Instagram them. Some of the things I cooked in April included Rachel Khoo's Beef Bourguignon and baguette dumplings, chouquettes and duck confit with Puy lentils. I should really start posting more recipes on FFID so keep an eye out for more of these in the future.

We had some great sunny days in April and I have to say I really love this time of the year. The parks and streets of Dublin looked amazing with all the cherry blossoms. I took this video when I was on my way to the Dylan for a chocolate afternoon tea, the wind was blowing in the trees and so it started to rain pink petals, it was very romantic.

I also had the chance to enjoy the sunshine by the seaside in Dun Laoghaire, Sandymount, Bray and Greystones. I love living so close to the sea and try to enjoy as much as I can.

I had great fun running two Foodie Movie Clubs, showing Ratatouille and was featured in a video on the Irish Independent's website. I love the Ratatouille movie and below is my absolute favourite scene. Warning, it's a spoiler if you haven't seen the movie yet!

  

Last but not least I was awarded ‘Best Food Read’ (tied with fabulous Donal Skehan) at the BOPS 2014. Thank you so much to everyone who voted, I never expected FFID to win and I'm very grateful. Merci! (photo courtesy of PR Slides).

In May I have a few nice events to look forward to and I’ll write a few articles about the great places I visited in Paris. I'm working on my next ventures at the moment and hoping to host some new food events in the coming months.

It’s my birthday on Friday and Mr. FFID is bringing somewhere I’ve always wanted to try, who knows you might see it on the blog soon if it’s any good.

Thanks a lot for reading and for your continued support!

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