Sharing delicious recipes and promoting tasty blogs

Think about the best recipes you have, the recipes you use the most. They are quite often recipes inherited from your mother or grandmother, recipes used by your family and modified over time. It's not just the sentimentality that makes these recipes good, it is the years spent tweaking them to perfection. It is for these family gems that we provide users the ability to import their own favorite recipes.

One of the most fun parts about having a good recipe is sharing and discussing it, singing its praises, adding just a little here or there. And we all know we write best about the things we have a passion for, so the writing is always good. That is why we are pleased to offer a platform for users and for established bloggers to write about their favorite recipes.

For bloggers, we offer a unique way to both be present in our "Facebook for Groceries" and attract people to their own content. It's a win-win situation: we get a great, tested recipes and the blogger gets paid for the work, more fans and more traffic. Usually a blogger provides recipes that come from the heart, from their family or that mean something to them, and from these unique perspectives, we can offer many different channels for our users to explore the culinary world. Say a user with a vegetarian diet starts to follow a vegetarian blogger. They get great recommendations and an easy way to transform that into a solid shopping list. Brilliant!

And our recipe creation system is only getting better. We have gotten good reviews from the creative minds, who are already on board and with their help we have fixed the last bugs and streamlined the process. When a recipe gets submitted by its creator, our superbly smart system will automatically convert the recipe ingredients to match real products that you find in stores. That's one of the key values we offer: a way for users to hit one button and have a whole recipe on their shopping list, with real products that differ depending on selected preferences for store, personal and dietary restrictions.

On top of the obvious perks for bloggers and anyone wanting to share their recipes, we reward them with other things as well, like the Noma competition. Simply just by sharing your recipe you can win delicious dinner for two and trip to Copenhagen!

Do you like what you hear? How about following these links to find out how you can be apart of our growing team of recipe writers, and how a simple recipe submission can win you a trip to Copenhagen and a dinner for two at the best restaurant in the world. 

An interview with "fotagraphia foodie"

At Foodie.fm we have been lucky enough to work with a group of wonderful food bloggers and recipe developers who have been contributing great content to our service over the past few months.

I recently had the chance to interview one of our bloggers, Samantha, or rather “fotographiafoodie” as she is known on our service. I hesitate to classify Samantha into any strict or confined category of expertise or “type”. She is a lover of food, photography and travel amongst other things and exudes a passion for life and fearless experimentation in her writing and cooking. I have had the pleasure to get to know Samantha through her seemingly effortless writing where she communicates with such a calmness and grace. It is always an enjoyable experience when speaking with Samantha and so wish to introduce her to all of you through a brief glimpse at our interview together. 

How long have you been cooking/baking for?

I have been seriously cooking for about 5 years now, though I have always been drawn to the art. I dabbled on and off before, learning staple recipes from my mother, though nothing really spectacular.

Do you have an early memory of you in the kitchen which you would like to share?

When I was in kindergarten, I saw my delightful mother cooking for me all the time from scratch. So, I wished to perform this amazing feat. I opened the bottom baking cupboard, which was conveniently at my height, and combined as many ingredients together as I could find. The quantities didn’t matter, and I just added water to make it in to, what appeared to be, a dough. I baked the ‘cake’, with my mother’s help of course, and brought it to kindergarten. The kids devoured it – I suppose it tasted similar to playdough – and the teacher conveniently slipped it in to her wastebasket (my mother many years later told me).

How did you learn to cook/bake?

I learned the basics from my mother. However, when that very same momma became sick with oral cancer about 5 years ago, and then later developed bone necrosis, I needed to learn how to modify recipes in both taste and texture. Her taste buds changed, and so my meals needed to as well. After she recovered, I continued to cook on instinct, according to what my guests desired. A golden lining from a difficult time.

What about cooking/baking do you love?

The creativity. I am also a photographer and used to do visual arts, and cooking to me is like painting with flavor. That, and I can also feed friends with my food canvas.

Do you prefer to cook or bake and why?

I prefer to cook. I am a scattered, act on instinct person and baking is too much of a science for me. The exact measurements involved with a baked good do not allow for a great deal of creativity, and my breads show me taking too much liberties – it is often flat and pudding-like.

Do you have a food or health motto you live by ?

I have high cholesterol, so I am literally what I eat. And while I often end up tasting my recipes, I do not usually consume them. I’ve never really associated cooking with a motto beyond building off of the cliché ‘you are what you eat’ one.

How long have you been blogging for?

I’ve been blogging for almost two years now, come this spring.

You keep a food, photography, and a travel blog; which of these do you think you are most passionate about?

My background is in International Development, and my undergraduate degree was in this field. Travel permeates my life. I would say that I am most passionate about going abroad, however, all three integrate together well. Photography is a way that I experience and document those travels, as well as my life. And wherever I go, I eat. Not in a Western, supposedly ‘safe’ restaurant, but in one where I can experience street food. I also attempt to take cooking lessons from locals on their standard, everyday cuisine, as it is such a big part of every culture around the world.

What is your favorite kitchen utensil? Why?

My 50mm lens. It is unusual, but it shows my steps and each simmering, stewing, spectacular moment.

Any kitchen secrets you would like to share?

Work on instinct. It may not be right, and may be rusty when you begin, but practicing this skill is key to becoming a marvelous cook.

Anything else about yourself or cooking you would like to share?

Nope. I love cooking, and I am blessed to be given the vehicle of the internet to share that with others.

Could you share with us a favourite recipe of yours?

I would say that my favorite is the Savory Orange Grilled Chicken on Grape Walnut Salad with Balsamic Reduction. I love salads – I have to adore salads due to my high-cholesterol.  And this one is not a regular salad, it is multifaceted in flavor and texture and mmmmmmm, is just so good.

Thank you Samantha for agreeing to this interview and sharing your beautiful stories and recipes with us. You can follow Samantha and her recipes on our service  and also by following her work and photography on her personal blogs.

 - Amy

If you would be interested in learning more about being one of Foodie.fm´s recipe writers like Samantha is, take a look at what we are looking for or you can be in contact with me directly at

amy (@) foodie.fm.

Battle of the bulge: Why Brits are losing the fight against fat

Like a terrorist threat, apparently we need to raise the alert in Britain from chubby to dangerously obese. It’s official folks – an EU study shows that within the British population, there are 23% obese women and 22.3% obese men. In world terms, we are now a shocking second on the obesity scale, after America. So what is going on? Could it have anything to do with the way we live now, compared to our slimmer past?

HENRY VIII WAS FAT – SO IT’S NOTHING NEW, SURELY?

Even in medieval times, there were infamous large men and women. Henry VIII had a salty meat-rich diet that included peacock, swan, rabbit, game, lamb and pork – washed down with huge amounts of alcohol and bread.  It possibly amounted to more than 5,000 daily calories, twice what is now known as a man’s daily quota. Vegetables, in his opinion, were for peasants. When he died, at fifty six, he had a 52" waist, and weighed 28 stone or about 180 kilos. But he was an exception, not a common sight. Now we see Henry VIIIs (and Henriettas) on every high street.

OUR LAZY NEW GENERATION

A Victorian child differed hugely from a child or teenager in the 21st century. They played outside and had toys, like hoops, that would encourage them to be active. Poorer children played out in the streets and most were forced to work. There was no television to sag in front of, or computer to obsess them. It was also a time of huge food shortages, particularly during  

the 1840s. A century later, during wartime, people learnt to cope with less. Not an ideal situation but a huge contrast with a time of plenty, where there is simply too much temptation.

NOW WE’RE CLEVER, ADVANCED AND FAT

Sophisticated advances in technology have undoubtedly made us fatter. Before the ease of private and public transport, people often walked huge distances, or used bicycles. More importantly, the rise of the supermarket at the beginning of the twentieth century suddenly gave us vast choice. Later, advertising then tantalised us, even made some food aspirational. The term ‘couch potato’ accurately describes our new sedentary lifestyle.

WE’VE JUST GOT TO HAVE IT

Since 2003, there have been a number of studies showing that fast food is addictive. This year, in the ‘Archives of General Psychiatry’ it stated that for some people, eating it causes the same brain reaction that is seen in substance dependence. Endocrinologist Michael Schwartz, from the University of Washington, noted that fast food numbs the body’s response to leptin – a hormone that tells your brain you're full and should quit. We now have processed food high in that addictive fat – moving too far away from raw and healthy elements in our diet.

COMMON SENSE COULD TRIUMPH

Some would stand by the simple adage ‘Eat less, move more.’ to cure obesity. Lazy Britain is not a label that we want to stick. So it may be a case of out with the Henry VIII diet and less of the excess. A natural diet as far as possible, rich in fruit and vegetables, is healthier and won’t pile on the weight. Also, those things on the bottom half of your body?  Legs. So use ‘em.

Social Groceries – what is it?

Software technology is like a set of Lego bricks—you can use it to compose pretty much anything. You can create beautiful and entertaining games, or mind-blowing visualizations, but what really fascinates me is using software to help people in their daily lives.

We truly want people to eat better and live long, healthy lives. We think this is a great use of software. Our everyday consumption is a key part of how we feel and how we affect the environment, so staring with food is a simple way to effect somebody’s quality of life.

That said, we believe that it is up to everybody to make their own decision on how and what they consume. We will not preach. We allow everyone to discover different foods and groceries to their liking. We just make it a little easier to find food that is healthy and delicious.

To me, this means connecting people in a brand new way. After all, who would know more about what you may enjoy than people with similar tastes? Whether you are a casual consumer or a passionate foodie, obsessed with Thai food or Italian, or concerned with allergies, which make it difficult to find the right product, we believe that personal connections will benefit you. Forty percent of our users say they want recommendations from their friends and likeminded people. When shopping non-groceries, that number jumps up to ninety percent. Clearly there is a desire there, and as a startup, I know that we can help these people in a brand new way—from individual to individual. 

Retailers and brands have essential roles in the process as well, not by pushing the products, but by providing valuable information on the right way to use them, while providing a direct link to buy them. After all, who else would be able to provide more valuable information about the origin of the product, nutritional values or availability? 

We can’t exclusively trust information from “marketing” though, can we? That’s where Social Groceries come in; let’s call it “customer democratization.” Customers weigh in and decide if the information provided is accurate and helpful or not. If retailers and brands have done a good job being helpful, and their information is correct and adds value, users will notice and rate the recipes and products accordingly. If the information is nothing but marketing flush, the rating will suffer.

We already do this in many industries. Take electronics: there is full price transparency—Google a brand name and in a split second, you will find customer ratings and prices with direct checkout. The next step is doing this with groceries. This is not scary, just a new way of doing things that requires new way of thinking. Be there early with your customers and you will win! It’s just that simple. It’s Social Groceries.

-Kalle-

Conscious, compassionate and mindful eating

Last year, I made some drastic changes to improve the quality of my life - I quit all sugar and dairy, returned to vegetarianism and to veganism shortly after.  All these choices were pushed by a strong will for a healthier life and a growing awareness of my surroundings.  I have always been very conscientious, so it feels like a natural, ethical decision to not eat meat and instead eat foods that I feel provide me with the best nourishment and lead me towards a better health and wellbeing.

Conscious eating is more than just making the right ethical choices. It is about getting in tune with your body, knowing what it needs and what it can’t tolerate and how it reacts to the foods you are consuming. Practising this kind of awareness takes time and patience and I cannot claim to have mastered it fully myself. Experimenting with dietary changes, like the ones I mentioned above, can give you a better understanding of what it is that your body acquires.  

Along with the right ethical and nutritional choices, conscious eating is also about appreciating the food and fully embracing all meals. Caroline Dupont, the author of ‘Enlightened Eating’, recommends practising conscious eating by avoiding all distractions at meal time, appreciating the food with all your senses (the smell, the colours, the taste and texture) and making eating a complete experience.  
In today's busy world, it is easy to see why this is so hard to put in practise. A lot of people eat most of their meals on the run – grabbing breakfast on their way to work, eating lunch at their desks and finishing the day with a meal in front of the tv or a computer. Convenience conjoined with multitasking is everything and people have lost part of their intuition when it comes to consuming food. That intuition, amongst other things, should tell you when you're hungry and what foods you should eat/avoid for optimum health. If eating is always secondary and distractions are present, it is impossible to follow that intuition.

My journey to conscious eating begins when I buy the produce. There is nothing I love more than going to my local farmers' markets every week to pick up fresh ingredients to cook with. Chatting to the growers who picked their produce for the market just the previous night gives me a real connection to the food and a much deeper appreciation for it. I cannot claim to be perfect, however, as just like many others, I sometimes do eat meals in front of my laptop, working and typing away. I have made a conscious effort, however, to be more aware and make conscious eating a habitual choice. These are the first steps towards a more mindful eating.

Tips on how to get started

1. Be aware of the origins of your food. Shop at farmers' markets, if you can. Select products that have less food miles. 
2. Give vegetarianism (or veganism!) a go. It is really not as hard as you may think!
3. Eat more raw foods and choose a variety of colours, flavours, textures and shapes – this will accentuate the whole eating experience.  
4. Experiment with different dietary changes. Try a week or two without gluten and dairy and see if you feel different. Try eating more vegetables and less fruit, try cutting out all sugar. Note down the feelings you experience during the experiment.
5. Make meal times a priority – no tv, no computer, no magazines or books. Set the table (even if you’re eating alone), light up a candle and savour the meal.