Hello, I'm Sarah
Welcome to Dear Kitchen, where I write love letters to the place I feel most at home: standing at the stove, wooden spoon in hand, trying to make sense of the world through food.
I started this collection of letters because I realised that recipes are never just about ingredients and instructions. They're about the stories we tell ourselves while we cook. The memories that surface when you smell garlic sizzling in olive oil. The quiet meditation of kneading bread. The way a meal can turn a Tuesday into something worth remembering.
Each recipe here is written as a letter — to my kitchen, to the people I feed, to anyone who believes that cooking can be both practical and poetic. Because food is how we show love, mark time, and create meaning in the everyday.
The Philosophy
Dear Kitchen began as a personal ritual: before cooking anything significant, I'd write a letter. Not to anyone in particular — just to the kitchen itself, as if it were a trusted friend. I'd write about why I was making this dish, what I hoped it would become, what memories it stirred.
What started as a private practice became this: a collection of recipes framed as correspondence. Each one opens with "Dear Kitchen," and closes with a signature. In between, there's the recipe — but also the story, the emotion, the why behind the what.
This isn't about perfection or performance. It's about honouring the act of cooking as something more than just fuel preparation. It's about slowing down enough to notice the sizzle, the steam, the transformation. It's about treating your kitchen — and yourself — with the kind of tenderness we usually reserve for loved ones.
So welcome. Pour yourself something to drink. Pull up a chair. Let's write some letters together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why write recipes as letters?
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Because cooking is intimate, personal, and deeply emotional — just like letter-writing. Framing recipes as letters reminds us that food isn't just sustenance; it's communication, memory, and love made tangible. When you cook from a letter, you're not just following instructions — you're being invited into a conversation.
Are these recipes suitable for beginners?
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Absolutely. While the writing might be poetic, the recipes themselves are clear, tested, and designed to actually work in real kitchens with real ingredients. Some are quick weeknight dinners, others are slow weekend projects. Each one includes timing, servings, and detailed instructions. If you can read and follow steps, you can cook these.
Where do you source your inspiration?
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Everywhere. A farmer's market in early summer. A memory of my grandmother's kitchen. A restaurant meal that made me want to recreate that feeling at home. A midnight craving. A friend's offhand comment. The seasons. The weather. The mood. Cooking is just life, translated into flavour.
Can I share your recipes?
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Please do. Cook them, adapt them, share them with people you love. All I ask is that you credit Dear Kitchen and link back if you're sharing online. Recipes belong to everyone, but stories deserve attribution.
Do you teach cooking classes?
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Not currently, but I do offer a monthly newsletter where I share new recipes, cooking tips, and longer reflections on food and life. You can subscribe on the homepage. I also occasionally host intimate cooking workshops — sign up for the newsletter to be notified when spots become available.