Honey, does my bump look big in this?

I have just got back from an all-day workshop and am exhausted. Let me just say that with this heat we were in a room with no windows and a very poor functioning air conditioning. Everybody was suffering but I suppose things are worse for a pregnant lady. Anyway, I toughened up and thankfully got to the end of the day in one piece

What I loved about the workshop was all the attention by bump got. At lunch and tea breaks we were all talking about babies and being pregnant. One common comment from the attendees was: "Wow, your bump is very big!" Now, as soon as I got home I decided to take a picture (Rob is not in town so I had to use Photo Booth, hence the poor quality) so that you can judge. I think this bump is literally growing day by day. I am now 27 weeks pregnant and officially in month 7; and for the curious ones, I have put on 7 kilos. What do you think? Does my bump look very big? Too big even? 

By the way, this is not a maternity dress, so I am thinking: if I can still fit into this dress, which I have bought years ago and wore it so many times in my skinny days, I am still fine, right? :) 

And for those of you who are not on Facebook and therefore haven't seen these pictures already, here are two pictures I had fun taking. I needed some fun activities after a long day in a boiling hot cage, you see!

Poor Feet

As I have mentioned already, my feet are suffering these days. They get super swollen and the heat and all the walking are definitely not helping. No matter what shoes I decide to wear, at the end of the day I end up with new cuts and blisters. 

I saw these gorgoues plasters online a couple of days ago, if only I could find them in London...they would make my feet look less miserable! :)

UPDATE: I have just asked Rob to buy them for me. He is in NYC these days. Will he get them? I seriously doubt, but I figured it was worth a try! 

What to expect when you' re expecting

Today Rob and I went to the cinema with our good friends and parents-to-be Steph and Andrew to see What to expect when you're expecting. 

The movie follows the story of five couples who are facing the challenges of becoming parents. Given our situation, we had to watch it! Each story is different but the main topic is the same: preparing to be a parent is no pic-nic. From the very first moment you find out to be pregnant, life changes. During pregnancy couples go through a roller-coaster of emotions until the most powerful day of their life: the birth of their child.

I am not going to lie to you, the movie is not a masterpiece and perhaps I expected more. However, it was lovely to watch on the big screen what is happening to us now. It made me smile, laugh and even cry. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

And once again we had amazing weather in London. The sky was super blue and the temperatures as high as 28 degrees; in fact, it was nice to sit inside the cinema with air-conditioning for a bit. 

On our way to the cinema I asked Rob to take a picture of the bump with one of our favourite London landmarks, the Tower Bridge. This is where Rob proposed and this is where we live now. As you can see, Baby O grows day by day and mummy is getting bigger and bigger!

P.S. After yesterday's fiasco, today I wore flip-flops! :)

Steph's baby shower

Today was the day: Steph's baby shower! 

I had been looking forward to this for quite a while, my first baby shower, and what a lovely day it was. London was beautiful today, the sky was very blue and it was sunny all day, perhaps it was even a bit too hot for a pregnant woman. I can't believe a beach-town girl like me can't take the heat anymore. Pregnancy, what are you doing to me and my poor feet??!! :) 

I left my flat late in the morning, faced the heat and headed to Natalie's place. By the time I got to Barnes, where Natalie lives, my dress was full of sweat patches and my feet adorned with many blisters and cuts. Sweet! It will be nice to have my body back in a few months, or at least I hope so. 

When Amy and I got to Natalie's the other girls were already there. The first thing to do was to take a picture with Steph, bump by bump. Steph is ten weeks ahead of me but for whatever reason I look bigger than her. Gosh, I am really getting big! 

When Natalie invites you to a cupcakes and tea event you know you are going to get amazing cupcakes. She is just too good at making them. Rob loves them and actually asked me to bring him some back, which I forgot (pregnancy brains?!). 

It was such a fun day. We first ate and then we all gave Steph our gifts, which she really seemed to like. It's always nice to open gifts but I think it's even more special to open gifts for your new baby!

In truly WI spirit, we then got crafty and decorated onesies for Baby Girl. We had so much fun!

And here are the results, aren't they lovely?

I had such a great time, I love spending time with the girls. Now, I am looking forward to my baby shower!

A Nursery for Baby O

As I mentioned yesterday, this morning Rob and I went to visit a nursery close to our flat. I don't know what I expected, but I left the place with mixed feelings. You know when you think: This is not good enough for my little sweet daughter? That kind of feeling. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the place and the members of staff were all incredibly sweet and nice. All kids seemed to be having a good time and enjoying being there. However, we were not super impressed and we have decided to keep looking. The very good thing about this nursery is that it's very close to both our flat and Rob's office, so in terms of convenience, this is a winner. It's still kind of pricey though, so it makes sense to explore other options. There are two nurseries that we are touring in the next couple of months and we are also considering the nanny option. We will see what we end up doing. One thing for sure is that we need to feel happy with the place where we will be leaving our 5-6 month old baby! The search continues. 

Also, I give you a little update on the bump. It's finally warm enough in London not to be wearing tights. It's sunny and warm, it really feels like Summer. Rob and I have been sitting on the balcony these last few evenings after dinner just chatting and enjoying the view. Everything is so much nicer when the weather collaborates! 

So, I am now in week 26 and Baby O keeps growing and growing. I feel like my belly is getting bigger and bigger every minute and she moves constantly. Here is a couple of pictures taken this morning. Go ahead, you can say it, I am huge! And I have still got three months to go!

Apart from being tired and sleepy all the time (the heat is not helping!), I am actually doing ok. A bit of swollen feet and legs and an annoying back-ache, but I certainly cannot complain. I can still sleep fine and still manage to fit into my normal clothes. I can't wait to open my Summer clothes boxes to finally start wearing proper Summer stuff, which I plan to do next weekend (it's a long weekend over here, the Diamond Jubilee weekend, so I will be able to take my time and wash and organise everything between Saturday and Tuesday). 

This weekend will be rather busy but I am very excited for both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday I will be going to my friend Steph's baby shower. She is 36 weeks pregnant at the moment and still looks amazing. I can't wait to be with the other girls, showering her with gifts and attention. And then Sunday Rob, Steph, her husband Andrew and I will be going to the movies to see What to expect when you are expecting. They couldn't choose a better time to release this movie. It will be fun!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Antenatal classes booked

This is probably something I should have done a while ago, but better late than never, right? And thankfully we are in England and not in Italy, the Brits are a tiny bit more organised and quick than the Italians. 

A few days ago I applied for two antenatal classes and yesterday in the mail I found the timetable for the classes I had been assigned to. Very efficient! The classes start at the end of July.

1. So, the first class I chose is the Labour, birth, pain relief and relaxation class. Both Rob and I will attend this. It's a three-hour class that covers the following topics and more: Signs of labour, stages of labour and coping strategies - Comfortable positions, basic massage, relaxation and the role of your birth partner (this is why Rob is attending too! He needs to know what to do.) - Coping methods and options for pain relief in labour - Induction of labour, assisted births with vacuum or forceps and Caesarean section. Just reading and writing these things make me anxious! 

2. The second class, instead, will be just for me. It's all about Breastfeeding (breastfeeding, expressing and storing milk, positioning and attachment of the baby at the breast, as well as where to get help and support for feeding the baby).

All my friends who have had babies before me, or are in the process of having babies, have told me how useful these classes are, so I decided to give it a go. It will be interesting to know a bit more about what I will be going through, but also it will be nice to meet new parents like us who live in our area. Perhaps, we will even make new friends!

Both classes will be held at the Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre, which I love. It's a modern, very well designed place not too far from our flat. The centre also has a cool nursery which we will tour later on this Summer.

 

And speaking of nurseries, we are visiting one tomorrow at Guy's Campus. I know it may sound weird to you that we are already looking into this but in London you need to be prepared. Getting into the nursery you want may be very competitive and there are long waiting lists for the good nurseries. The Guy's Campus one is a King's College London nursery, so only King's members of staff are eligible to apply for a place (for those of you who don't know this, I am a Research Associate at King's, hence, I can apply). If we like it and they have availability, it will be the best option for us. Fingers crossed! As always, I'll keep you posted.

To Buy List

Yesterday Rob and I sat down and drew a list of essential, big things that we need to buy for baby O. So far I have been buying mostly clothes and little accessories, but it's now time to get down to business and start with the real stuff. 

So, here is our list of essentials for the first few months. We are talking about medium-to-big stuff, we haven't included things like nappies, for example; we know we will have to buy plenty of those! Please have a look and tell us if we need more.

So, what's the situation as of today:

1. COT: We are pretty set on buying the Stokke. I love the grey option with the white bedlinen and canopy. Now we just need to take a big breath, make the order, and pay! :)

2. PRAM (or Stroller, for the Americans): This will be my mum's personal gift to the baby. Phew, one big expense avoided! Thanks mum. I know we want the Bugaboo Cameleon, I have known this since the very moment the Bugaboo made its appearance in London. We just need to agree on the colour combination. I am thinking dark grey base and limited edition soft pink cot. But we want to check the new jade green as well as Rob is not too keen on the pink.

3. CHANGING TABLE: As we are trying to fit this into one of the two bathrooms, we are a bit limited. Most changing tables available are too big. However, if you search, you find. This one, for example, is lovely and would fit in our en-suite bathroom. The problem? A bit pricey. But I am thinking...once the baby doesn't need changing anymore (hopefully soon!), we can remove the mattress and use it as a nice storage table in the bathroom. 

4. WARDROBE: Done! Yesterday evening I ordered the unit I mentioned before. Not amazing, but practical. And I found it with a grey linen, instead of cream, which I like better. I also ordered fabric and leather grey boxes, as well as a couple of white baskets, and a set of glittery pink and lilac baby hangers. We are ready to store all Baby O's clothes!

5. CAR SEAT: This is Rob's job. We don't have a car in London but as we will need to use the cab from time to time (especially to go back home from the hospital!), we figured it would be good to buy one. I saw a sweet one in black and white polka-dots from Mamas and Papas and kindly passed the info to Rob. However, this is his project...we will see what he finds.

6. BOUNCER CHAIR: My biggest enemy. I am still not able to find one that I like. Most bouncers are very colourful and with lots of toys and other things hanging. I'd like something a bit more discrete but still sweet. Will keep looking.

7. BATH TUB: Found one shaped like a duck (less cheesy than you'd think, believe me!) which I love but it won't be good for the first few months. So, what do we do at the beginning? Just use the toilet sink?

8. NAPPY DISPOSAL SYSTEM: Evaluating different brands but we definitely want one!

9. BABY CARRIER: I think we will go with the Baba Sling, but we are still deciding.

10. CHANGING BAG: Still to look into this. For those who know me well, I like bags. So I may take my time here to look for a fashionable, but still functional, one :)

11-13. PUMP/MILK BOTTLES/BINKIES/STERILISER: No idea yet.

14. ELECTRONIC BABY SCALE: Not even sure we need one. In Italy the doctor makes you weight your baby multiple times a day, before and after she has been fed. Here nobody has mentioned the scale. I'll investigate.

This should be it for now, I hope! We are aware that with time we will need other big items, such as a high chair and a play mat, but for now we should be able to survive and provide Baby O with all she needs. Right?

Wicked

Yesterday evening Rob and I headed to the Apollo Victoria theatre to see the musical Wicked. As I mentioned before, this was one of my gifts for Rob's birthday this year, and I knew he would love it.

We hadn't been out on a Saturday evening for quite some time, so we dressed up a bit for the occasion. Here are two pictures of me and the bump. Thankfully, I managed to fit into one of my dresses. I still haven't bought proper maternity clothes and am trying to use my own as much as I can. Of course, I will need to buy some maternity clothes soon as the bump is getting every day bigger and bigger.

At the theatre we bought a bucket of sweets for a craving mum-to-be and then headed to our seats, which were in a quite good position, in the stalls, right in front of the stage. Overall the musical was very nice and powerful and we enjoyed it. I can't say it's the best musical I have ever seen but it's definitely worth a visit. Baby O seemed to love it as she literally went crazy kicking all the time. This was a good test as we have a Coldplay concert in a couple of weeks and I want to make sure she can take the loud music! Of course there will be thousands of people at the concert and the music will be much louder, but if she is truly our daughter she will just love it! 

Also, Rob got another gift in the mail yesterday. It's a book he wanted to read but he had not bought it yet. I was quicker than him and ordered it for his birthday. It's the Commando Dad book. When he mentioned that he wanted to read this book I melted, I thought it was very sweet of him and I know how much it means to him to be a good father. I have no doubt he will and am sure this book will just give him the confidence he needs :) Of course, I am going to read it too, I too need to know how to survive the first 24 hours!!

Baby O in 4D

This morning Rob and I visited the Baby Scan Clinic on Harley Street for our 4D scan. We had been looking forward to this since the moment we made an appointment a couple of months ago. We knew it would be very exciting to see Baby O again, and this time in 4D, and we were also aware of the fact that perhaps it could turn out to be a bit freaky too. 4D baby scans are very similar to 3D scans except that they are video scans, not static pictures like the 3D scans. As a souvenir we got ten 3D images of the baby and a DVD that captures all the nice moments of Baby O yawning, smiling, opening and closing her mouth, kicking, moving, and blowing kisses (at least, that's what it seemed she was doing!). By the way, they also confirmed Baby O is a girl! At some point Rob and I saw *something* that looked very suspicious but the technician understood straight away and was quick to assure us that that was a foot (!), and she showed us all the girlie bits instead. Phew! I was already thinking what to do with all the clothes that we have bought and received...

The pictures are not amazing, to be honest, but I have scanned a few for you to see anyway. Who do you think she looks like?

The whole time we were *filming* her she was moving so much showing us her chubby legs and froggy feet. It was very cute to see her in action. It would have been a magnificent experience if it wasn't for the fact that her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck and she clearly didn't seem to like it. She tried hard to get that thing off her neck (she is a trouper!) but she was only able to lift it a bit, up to her nose. Rob and I got a bit stressed by this but the sonogram technician assured us that this is quite common and since the baby moves a lot it is more than possible that by now she is totally free already. In any case, I am going to inform my midwives about this to see if we can have another scan to keep things under control. It was incredible to see how both Rob and I reacted the same way, with a very strong parental instinct: we both wanted to do something to take the umbilical cord off our sweet baby but of course we didn't know what to do, so we just kept asking questions. This is just the beginning, one of the many concerns that attack a parent's life! I wonder: are we ready for it? :)

Rob's Birthday

Today is a special day, Rob turns 38! It's the last birthday before he becomes a daddy, from next year we will be celebrating birthdays as a family. We are so excited!

For the occasion I took Rob out for dinner. There is a small restaurant very close to our flat where we have meant to go for a while. When we were in Queenstown, during the last leg of our wonderful honeymoon in New Zealand, one night we were dining at this fine restaurant and happened to be sitting next to a lovely British couple. We chatted for a bit and once they found out that we lived in Shad Thames in London they suggested a visit to this restaurant. I thought it was about time to try it and what better occasion than Rob's birthday. Magdalen is a real gem, the ambiance is very intimate and sophisticated and the food just delicious. 

I had a warm fennel soup with an amazing olive bread to start and then a very delicate veal with mixed radishes and vegetables. Rob opted for a salmon salad as appetiser and then braised lamb shoulder with white beans and the best potatoes I have had in a long time (of course I had to try them!). 

As I worked from home today, I used my lunch break to bake a chocolate birthday cake. 

Therefore, we didn't have dessert at the restaurant even if I was so tempted to try the French toast with strawberries and vanilla ice cream. Next time. As soon as we got home, we attacked the cake, which thankfully was very good and of course super chocolaty!

All in all we had a very nice evening. The celebrations, however, are not over. Tomorrow morning we finally have the 4D scan, it will be amazing to see baby O again! And I also bought tickets for this Saturday to see Wicked, it will be fun. A long birthday for a wonderful dad-to-be! Happy birthday my love!

Catching Up with the Bump: Weeks 21-24

Last time you saw a picture of me and my bump was back in week 20 when I was in Italy for a lovely Easter break and threw an Afternoon Tea with my girlfriends. I apologise for not adding new pics of the bump, you have been asking for updates on a regular basis, and I am sorry it took so long to finally publish some. Rob has been traveling for work quite a lot lately, which means I haven't had a photographer in house handy. I was getting impatient myself, though, so a couple of days ago I used the wonderful online photo booth at La Photocabine to take some shots of the growing belly. The pictures are not amazing, it would be better to see me standing to have a proper look, but they give you an idea of the current state of the bump.

So, what have I been up to? To begin with, apart from being constantly tired and sleepy, I do feel much better than the first four months. I am in the middle of month six now (3 months and a half to go!) and can't complain. Life has been a bit hectic but nice. I had friends and relatives visiting and keeping me active, I did a bit of shopping and eating out as well, which I hadn't done in a while (well, I have done plenty of online shopping, but you know what I mean!). I have also started cooking again and tasting food properly; up until a few weeks ago everything tasted like iron to me. I still don't excercise much, but that's ok, I have never really been that active in this department :) I still walk to work, however, even if I try to use the tube a little bit more these days. And speaking of the tube, people do give up their seats for me these days, which is nice and much needed! 

What else? I gained more weight, almost five kilos now! I don't have cravings and the only annoying symptom I have is a bit of heartburn now and then. No swollen feet nor hands yet; the English weather is proving to be useful here! I am sure that if I was in Pescara with all the heat and humidity I would have gigantic feet and wouldn't be able to keep my engagement and wedding rings on! Thankfully no stretch marks so far. 

I still sleep kind of ok, I try to sleep on my left side as recommended but most of the times I end up being on my back, my absolutely favourite sleeping position ever. I do have a bit of back pain but that's to be expected. 

Next week is a big week for us. We have a couple of doctor appointments, a generic one with my GP just to check that everything is going well and the baby is growing ok. I must say, she moves a lot these days, sometimes she hurts me too, but it's so sweet to feel her and see my belly move! Also, we finally have our 4D scan which we are very excited about! It will be a bit freaky to see Baby O in 4D, I think, but lovely at the same time. And I can't wait to see her moving in there one more time! So check out for updates next week as there will be some good ones (I hope!).

One final thing: thanks ever so much to all of you for all the support and kind words, you are the best!

Crib Style Dilemma

Despite what my friends say about my style and the fact that I put my touch on everything, the *Vale touch*, as they call it (outfits, furniture, flat decor, gifts, cards...), I actually struggle to understand my style. I guess it lays somewhere in between vintage and modern but I like so many different things that I am not really sure I do have a preference. Perhaps, it is fair to say that I prefer an eclectic style to a very straightforward one, and I do mix and match a lot, but this also means that sometimes I get confused about what's me and what's not? 

Choosing a crib for Baby O is proving to be difficult exactly for this reason. We won't have a proper nursery, at least for the first several months the baby will be sleeping in our bedroom next to my side of the bed. This means that the style of her furniture will have to communicate with the general style of our room. Not that easy, considering that our bedroom is a quite nice mixture of styles itself. In there there are pieces purchased in stores as different as The French Bedroom Company and Kartell! 

So, should I go with the lovely Venetian, old-style crib? Or choose the super modern gray version from Bloom? I like them both, equally and I can't decide. Thus, I have been looking for something in between that is both sweet and with a clean design. The Stokke Sleepi may be just what I  need. The very good thing about this crib is that it can be extended and used from O months to 10 years! Although I have to say, I love the mini bed but I am not positive I would use the bed after Baby O turns 2. 

Now friends, since you seem to know my style better than me, what do you think I should do?

A wardrobe for Baby O

Baby O's collection of clothes grows day by day. I know I should try to control myself, but how can I? There are so many beautiful things out there to tempt me and let's face it, I am easy to tempt! For now I have been storing all her little clothes in big bags that I keep in my bedroom, in a corner. However, it is becoming a matter of urgency to buy some sort of wardrobe where to start storing the baby's stuff in a more organised way. The storing situation in our two bedroom flat is the following:

1. In our bedroom we have a decent size closet, a chest of drawers and a bookshelf where we keep accessories (e.g. belts, scarves, hats) nicely stored in Japanese baskets and vintage trunks. 

2. In the second bedroom we have a decent size wardrobe, full of Rob's hundreds of button-down shirts and, emm, my bags

3. In the hall we have a good size closet where we keep all our jackets and coats, together with Rob's shoes

Now, since we have decided to keep the second bedroom as a guest room, at least for a few months, we are not going to reorganise that wardrobe. And there is absolutely no space in the closets, chest of drawers or bookshelf for Baby O's stuff. We need a new piece of furniture, you would say...well, yes, but there isn't much space in our bedroom where we could fit another wardrobe either! The troubles of living in central London. The only space I can think of, that could turn out useful is between the end of our bed and the wall, next to the chest of drawers. Here I can fit a nice size bookshelf but not a chest of drawers or wardrobe as there would not be enough space to open the drawers or the wardrobe doors. What a pickle! I have been looking for nice bookshelves that wouldn't ruin the aesthetics of the bedroom but I haven't been able to find much. Also, my mum is telling me that I really shouldn't expose the baby's clothes too much, what about all the dust!?! As if our flat were full of dust! Let's not forget I am allergic to dust, so if it was so dusty, I would notice. Anyhow, I have been looking for alternatives. I have just found this unit on Argos that may work. There are no cabinet doors nor drawers that would be in the way, only shelves, and with roll up front and tie fastenings I will be able to store Baby O's clothes in a smart and clean way. The unit is not beautiful, I know, but perhaps for once I should try to be more practical. I would still buy nice baskets, boxes and trunks to store the clothes, so perhaps I can make it look better. What do you think? Of course, any suggestion is very welcome!

And in case you are curious, the latest additions to Baby O's collection of clothes are from Joules:

How to organise your meals

This is a post I have been meaning to write for quite some time. I am a rather organised person in general but when it comes to organise lunch/dinner meals, according to my friends, I am just too good. I am not sure if this is true or they are simply kidding me, and with *good* they actually mean *a freak*, but I figured I could share here some of my top tips that you may find useful to plan a balanced and varied diet.

Being Italian, I grew up with a strong culinary culture. There are lots of negative things you may want to say about Italians but one thing for sure is that we do know how and what to eat. I am so glad my mum never fed me with pre-packaged, processed and frozen food, and I will do everything I can to do the same with this little baby who is growing inside me. Italians can organise a meal in no time, this is a talent I gave it for granted before I moved to the UK but then I realised that not everyone knows how to use the few ingredients they have in their kitchen to make a last-minute dinner. So, here are some of my tips:

1. Plan your weekly meals

Among my friends I am known (and teased!) for my to-do-lists and short-to-long term plans. I make lists for pretty much everything and I organise my life around these lists, and of course I make what-to-eat lists. At first I used white paper from a notebook but then I discovered this amazing What To Eat notepad from Anthropologie and got hooked. If they make a notepad like this, it means that I am not the only weirdo in the world!!

This is what I do. Rob and I usually do our big food shopping on Saturday morning. As soon as I get home I make a list of all the things we have bought and write the expiration date next to each item. According to the expiration dates, I then start planning our weekly meals. I always start with fresh meat and fish and then all the rest. I find it incredibly useful to plan our meals for many reasons but mostly because so I know what I will be cooking at night when I am back from work and I don't have to stare at the fridge looking for inspiration. Also, it helps me decide what to have for lunch: if I plan to have fish or meat for dinner, I will try to have pasta or rice for lunch. It's important to have a balanced diet, you see. And another benefit of lists like this is that you'll avoid to throw away food that goes bad, since you know exactly when everything expires. Useful no? Of course, you may need to stop every now and then during the week for fresh stuff (e.g. bread or vegetables) but it's fun to stop at your local grocery or deli before going back home after an intense day at work.

2. Choose simple meals

I understand that at the end of a full day at work all you want to do is relax and rest on the sofa reading a book or flipping through a magazine. But eating well is important, so make sure to cook a fresh meal every evening, especially if your lunch options are limited (e.g. sandwich or salad sitting at your desk in front of the computer!). The key secret for this is to choose simple meals to cook that do not require a lot of time or attention. You'll probably have some of your favourite quick meals (ours for example is linguine with pesto and cherry tomatoes, quick and easy!) but you will also want to vary your dinners and sometimes try something different. So I suggest introducing something new every other week. Look for a good recipe book, but not one of those complicated French books where you will need hundreds of ingredients for every individual meal. Italian cuisine, for example, is so easy! My absolute favourite recipe book, however, is not Italian, but British, written by the most famous domestic goddess in the UK, Nigella Lawson. I highly recommend her Nigella Express book.

I have tried many of the recipes and they all work. Nigella doesn't use many ingredients and you can achieve nice and sophisticated results in just a few steps. 

3. Always have the basic ingredients

Make sure you always have some basic ingredients in the house, should you need to organise a last-minute dinner for your husband's friends or colleagues who are in town. You know what is essential for you, in my house the following things are always around: garlic, onion, extra virgin olive oil, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, parmesan, pesto along with a couple of other things.

4. Enjoy cooking

And last, but not least, make sure cooking and eating your home-cooked meals is a pleasure and not a task. Put your favourite tunes on while you cook, use nice and colourful kitchen accessories and linens to brighten up the room and just enjoy whatever you are cooking!