Welcome to my Story
It begins at Shortcake Cottage, a tiny countryside home where the seasons set the rhythm of everyday life, herbs tumble from the garden, bread slowly rises on the kitchen table and every meal is inspired by the landscape beyond the door.
This is a story of growing, gathering, foraging, cooking and sharing.
But growing is about so much more than tending a vegetable patch or harvesting fruit from the garden. It is about growing in knowledge, curiosity and appreciation. It is about learning to recognise the wild abundance that surrounds us, understanding the journey of an ingredient from seed to plate, and finding joy in creating something beautiful with our own hands.
I believe there is magic hidden within the simplest of ingredients. A handful of fragrant herbs, a basket of freshly picked tomatoes, a loaf of warm sourdough or berries gathered on a summer walk all hold the promise of transformation. With a little patience, creativity and care, they become dishes that nourish not only our bodies but also our memories, our traditions and the people we gather around our tables.
My hope is that these pages encourage you to slow down and notice the seasons more deeply. To cook with confidence rather than perfection. To embrace the beauty of homegrown and foraged ingredients, celebrate British landscapes, and rediscover the quiet rituals that make a house feel like home.
From my kitchen at Shortcake Cottage to yours, I invite you to join me on a journey where food becomes storytelling, nature becomes the pantry, and every season brings a new chapter to savour.
Welcome to GourmetGlow.
Hello I’m Suze
The Last Few Years have been incredible: stressful, turbulent, but above all the most positive experience of my life. I’ve dabbled with death, been at my all-time emotional low, but I’ve risen, grown as a person and come out in the best place I have ever been.
I owe this journey to my relationship with food. My relationship with food was going to be the end of my life but my inherent love of cooking turned this around to become the beginning of my new life. It was both my failure and my saviour. Now I appreciate food on all levels, to nourish but also to satiate the soul through voyages in flavour. For me creating beautiful food is a solace from the stress of everyday life.
Before I enrolled at Leith’s, life had become a monotonous rollercoaster. A Near fatal accident in 2007 had left me needing many bouts of surgery and had quashed any hopes of starting a career. Yes, I had a Bsc in Biological Sciences, I worked, events management, retail, etc but nothing pushed my buttons. I reached a point where I needed to do something for myself, that fulfil who I am.
Ever since dot I’ve been fascinated by food. Name a holiday and even at age 5 I could tell you what we ate and what it was like. I didn’t realise but food had been my passion since my mind can remember, which is bizarre as no one in my family is remotely foodie.
Recipes
