About Me

Hi, I’m Catherine, born and bred Dubliner, with a piece of my heart in the countryside.  I started this blog in 2015, having jumped ship from my 9-5 desk job, in finance. Since then I have worked in various food roles from food tour guide to caterer to food demonstrator. At the moment I am a stay-at-home mum to two little boys which keeps me on my toes.

Elbows off the Table is reminiscent of a by-gone era, a time when organic was the norm and buying microwaveable dinners was considered ‘alternative’. Somehow in just a few decades that has turned completely on its head. Request your meat in a brown paper bag today and you might be considered a treehugger, but food didn’t come wrapped in cling film in our Grannies time. However there is a movement coming fast and strong. With a sea of plastic, melting icecaps and food scandals regularly dominating global media headlines,  we are looking back to our roots for answers more than ever before. People are adapting time-honoured traditions from growing their own food and buying from the local small artisan producer. This blog is about cooking from scratch, respecting old school traditions in modern day life.

This blog also encapsulates my enthusiasm for the community of the ‘table’ and sharing a meal together. Have you ever noticed that the conversation over meal or a glass of wine can be a hell of a lot different to the one where the dinner was scoffed down over an iPad or in front of the tv? The table is where memories are made, key milestones and birthdays are celebrated and a time for people to come together at the end of the day. Although I don’t have too many rules for the table, (and I don’t actually mind if you put your elbows on mine!)  I do think it is always worthwhile and important to make an occasion out of every meal, to at least spend as long eating it, as you did preparing it.

I spent 3 months living and learning in Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork, Ireland, and I am still learning about food and cooking today. With life busier than ever I like to keep my recipes simple and straightforward. I love sharing any new nuggets of information that I find useful and I hope you will join me on my journey by following me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter or I’d love to hear from you at catherine.on.allen@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by,

Catherine