Hello, and welcome to JAF’s Kitchen. I’m James, a 26-year-old home cook who loves all things eating and drinking. I’ve always found joy in creating something from scratch and perfecting it as much as possible, whether that’s dialling in a new coffee bean, proofing a loaf of sourdough, or preparing the perfect cut of meat.

I’ve been a home cook and home barista for several years now, and have recently dived into the world of bread baking. I’ve never had any ‘formal’ training, unless you count scouring Reddit and watching YouTube videos… I believe in learning by doing, trying, and failing (many times!). I find that, for me, this is the quickest and best way to learn, across everything I do. Take sourdough for example; a notoriously tough job which proved to be a long and frustrating journey. However, I stuck to it, learned what works best for me and now I’m genuinely proud of my loaves. Beef Wellington would be another example of ‘trying and failing’, but don’t get me started on that…

I’m the type of person that is always jumping between different hobbies, but cooking has always been a constant. Even with a full-time office job (plus working from home), I can always fit it into my day and I’m always thinking “what recipe can I try tonight… when can I make my next loaf…”. I enjoy the process, and I enjoy sharing my passion with other people. I also love watching cooking and baking shows, and watching YouTube videos of coffee experts talk about their craft. Some of my go-to’s include Gordon Ramsay, James Hoffmann, LifeByMikeG, BingingWithBabish… I could go on, but these are the guys I watch all the time. Outside of the kitchen, I’m an avid cyclist, casual runner, amateur guitarist and a budding crochet-er (yes, really…). Much like cooking, these are all hobbies where you start from scratch and build your skills – which I love.

I created JAF’s Kitchen as a way to share my kitchen experiences, and share a few real tips and tricks that I’ve picked up as a home cook who doesn’t have a huge amount of free time. Finding time to cook – and truly enjoying it – can be challenging, so if I can help or inspire even one person, I’ll be very happy. I’ll be posting regularly about recipes I’ve attempted, kitchen gadgets, and recent restaurant trips.

Thanks for reading, and I can’t wait to share more with you!

JAF