Welcome to Gastro Boy!

As well as being obsessed with videogames and various other pop culture nonsense (see artificialconstruct for more details), I'm a keen cook. Nothing particularly fancy in my repertoire, but plenty of good, healthy, easy to cook dishes that anyone can learn how to cook, and everyone should.

In an age where concern and interest in topics such as food miles, the provenance of our meat, locally sourced produce, organic food, healthy eating etc is ever increasing, and in a time when we're all feeling the pinch thanks to the bloody banks, there's never been a better time to learn how to cook.

The benefits are manifold. You know what's going in your meal, so if you simply have to have all organic, you can. Likewise, you can control the amount of fat, salt and sugar - something that's not really possible with microwave ready meals or takeaways. You can tailor recipes to suit your particular likes and dislikes too, which is important if you've got fussy kids (or grown-ups!). You can avoid "dodgy", ethically unsound ingredients like Palm Oil too. Save the Orang-Utans while you munch, if you will.

It'll save you money too, as you can easily make takeaway favourites at home for a fraction of the cost - it just takes a decent store cupboard, a bit of confidence, and a little bit of time. I know we don't all have bags of time due to our busy lives, but perhaps we should try and reclaim a bit more back for ourselves. Cooking's a great way to unwind, and it does me the world of good after a crappy day at work - it might just do the same for you. Nothing quite beats the sense of satisfaction as you tuck into your homemade treat either, knowing it's healthier, greener, and cheaper. And just as tasty, if you get it right!

So with all that in mind I'm starting this blog. I'm not actually expecting anyone to read it, but you never know. Whenever I cook something new (which will be everything as the blog is just starting out...), I'm going to post pictures and recipes, all of which will be easy to cook, tasty, and as healthy as I can possibly make them. And because I'm used to cooking for two - one meat eater (me) and one vegetarian (the missus) - they'll be in handy single portion sizes, making them the perfect replacement for a microwave meal for one.

Some might be other people's recipes, some might be own creations, and some might be a mish mash of the two, but they'll all be yum.

And surely that's all anyone really wants?