While working in-house at a busy publishing company, I was always dreaming of what I could cook if I was closer to my kitchen. Maybe I’d rustle up an exotic salad for lunch or have a hearty stew bubbling away, ready in time for the end of the day. Once I decided to go freelance I thought I’d got it sorted – I’d whip up whatever I liked, whenever I liked, as obviously working from home would buy me barrels of time. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I soon realised I needed every minute and hour I could muster – either to meet a deadline or to keep things ticking over by looking for new work.
Becoming a freelancer really changed my relationship with food – rather than giving me the freedom I had expected, it caused me to resent taking time out to cook and eat. I would end up eating quick, carb-heavy meals (a pasta, peas and cheddar cheese combo being standard) in the hope that they would give me the energy boost I needed to keep going. In fact, more often than not this strategy resulted in a major afternoon slump in productivity.
So I set about figuring out how to make healthier, more exciting meals and nutritious snacks in a way that would fit in around my work and actually aid productivity. I’m aiming to share these recipes with you on The Freelancer’s Cookbook.
I’ve categorized the recipes into four types:
- Quick Cook – Recipes that you can cook swiftly and eat straight away.
- Cook & Work – Meals that require a longer cooking time, but only a small amount of preparation and intervention. These recipes have one or more distinct chunks of time, which allows you to get back to your desk while the food cooks.
- Batch Cooking – More involved recipes which allow you to ‘pay it forward’ if you are experiencing a quiet work day or a slow week. These meals are designed to be made in large batches, frozen in individual portions and defrosted when work is busy again.
- Snacks & Treats – Easy recipes for when you need an energy boost or a little afternoon pick-me-up.
About me
I’m Rose, a freelance editor living in York. I’ve had a varied career in publishing and cookery.
My catering experience has included working in a bakery and several coffee shops, as well as running my own business. In 2015, alongside my catering partner Beth, I ran the Hogacre cafe in Oxford. It’s a summer pop-up cafe located in a former cricket pavilion in the middle of a windy common right in the heart of the city.
Running the cafe challenged me to come up with new, simple recipes using locally sourced ingredients, week after week. This is where my love of writing recipes began. As a freelancer working mainly from home, I realised that I could use my catering skills to help me eat and work more efficiently. This naturally led to sharing my recipes, and eventually starting The Freelancer’s Cookbook.
I’d love to know your thoughts on the site! You can contact me on facebook, instagram, twitter and or send me an email at freelancerscookbook@gmail.com. If you’d like to know more about the editorial services I offer, please pop over to my profile on LinkedIn.
The Freelancer's Cookbook 