The Tale of a Teaspoon; My Journey to a more sustainable plate

I started my Instagram, The Tale of Teaspoon, to remedy complaints from friends and family that I posted "too many food pics" whilst on my travels.

For years it was no more than just another foodie account filled with meals out and some home cooking. I posted less and less frequently, and even at one point took time out from Instagram all together.

However in late 2021 I had moved to the South West, survived not knowing anyone in lockdown with a newborn, and as things started to open back up, I was ready to explore all that Frome's menu had to offer.

Through Instagram I met Hugh, who has his fingers in many of Frome's pies, most notably the Frome Food Network, and it was by going along to one of their outings (foraging and a lunch-and-learn with Get Pickled Somerset), that I really found my tribe.

These were people who loved food but also cared deeply about the whole farm to fork journey, not in the "trendy" way, but in as authetic a way as I could have imagined.

Plants I'd never heard of were being discussed for their various properties and how they could be used in cooking. Names of local producers and sustainable practices were being dropped left right and centre and I wanted to know more.

In fact I needed to know ALL OF IT, and so my journey really began.

The Tale of a Teaspoon, now has a much clearer and more important purpose in my mind. I strongly believe that we as a country and as a species, need to change so many of our food habits, and we need to do so quickly, to stop the damage simply eating, is doing to our planet.

I felt I had my eyes opened by Henry Dimbleby's book, "Ravenous" and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to better understand the basics of how and why food is a major player in the climate crisis.

I really enjoy learning more about the food I eat, becomcing more mindful about where it comes from and what impact it's production has on the planet.

However I've also felt completely overwhelmed by even just a small amount of knowledge and felt paralysed by the prospect of cooking an evening meal for my family.

How could I take what I now knew and provide food that was locally and sustainably sourced, that would be healthy and that would be enjoyed by two toddlers and an Italian husband, and that wouldn't cost the earth?

I failed time and time again because I didn't have all of the skills and knowledge, nor did I have time to be sourcing everything I wanted, outside of the convenience of the supermarket.

So I decided to stop framing it as a failure.

The supermarket became necessary evil and I strove to do a little bit better as and when I could. I had a think about what could really make a difference and wrote some New Year's Resolutions... but given it's now August I suspect I'll fail at most of those too!

I recognised that habits take time to change and that Rome wasn't built in a day. I started to look at eating sustainabily as a journey, and I found that via Instagram stories, The Tale of a Teaspoon became a wonderful place to start sharing that journey.

I started this blog and a monthly newsletter called Food For Fork and slowly over the months of 2023 I have come to realise what it is that I want to do...

I am now on a mission to make eating sustainably more fun and easier for our everyday lives.

It needs to be easier to understand what sustainable eating really means and it needs to be easier to take action, one small step at a time. And it needs to be an adventure because most people responsible for getting dinner on the table, already have so much on their plates.

So, expect to hear and see a lot more about eating sustainably. I'm playing with the ideas of a Podcast and maybe even a recipe book. I'd love your input, because I believe collaboration is key; we have to be on this journey together to really make a difference.

To learn more follow The Tale of a Teaspoon on instagram and subscribe to never miss an article or our monthly newsletter Food For Fork.