It really amazes me and surprises me that so many people are shocked that I cook all of our meals from scratch.

Already in my new job I’m getting a reputation as “the baker” and each day I get asked what’s for lunch as I tend to bring in last night’s leftovers. My cooking is always simple, nothing too fancy but I try to include as much fresh veg in many of my meals as possible and be a little more creative when I have time. A colleague actually said today that I'll make Mr T a good wife but to me I do nothing out of the ordinary; i just like to buy and cook with the best quality food we can afford.

I’ve also been watching a few food programs on TV recently which have spurred me in thinking even more carefully about what we eat. I’m lucky that I enjoy cooking and that Mr T eats anything but I just can’t get my head round how many people eat ready meals. Now I’m no angel and we always have a frozen pizza in the freezer for a lazy meal but I can’t bring myself to eat ready meals more than once a week. I always remember watching a Jamie Oliver show on school dinners years ago and he said if the ingredients on the back of food packaging looks like a science experiment then don’t eat it while if it looks like the inside of your cupboard do eat it.

Myself and Mr T are keen to start a family in the next year or so and both of us have vowed to do our best by our future kids in regards to food. Now I know kids are fussy – I’m still fussy with certain foods (I hate salad!) but I refuse to eat something pumped full of additives when it’s just as easy to make it from scratch. People say kids like chicken nuggets etc but they only like them if they get to try them. It takes all of 5 mins to chop some chicken, dip it in egg and roll it in breadcrumbs before popping in the oven for the same length of time it takes to cook frozen ones that probably aren't even 100% chicken or are pumped full of flavour enhancers.

Now I’m not dissing convenience meals at all but I just don’t get how people eat them all the time. Mum’s been telling me about these Naked Noodles she likes but for half the price I can get normal dried noodles and add some seasoning and soy sauce and takes the same length of time to cook.

Why aren’t people more particular about what they put in their bodies? I know I’m guilty with regards to my sweet tooth but I’ve made some drastic changes so chocolate and cake is a treat instead of a daily occurrence. I like to know we are eating balanced meals throughout the day but I’m really particular about our evening meal being home cooked and healthy.

With the convenience of pre-chopped veg and slow cookers we should be embracing home cooking.

Sorry, this is a bit of a rambling post but I’m just finding it odd that I am coming across more and more people who are amazed I cook from scratch. I guess cos I follow lots of food blogs and surround myself with foodie people I’m not used to having to explain my reasoning for cooking and why I love food. I would really like to know all your thoughts on the matter.

Do you prefer to cook from scratch? What are your thoughts on ready meals?