This blog, and the recipes within, were born out of something quite unusual.

Back in 2017, I lost my sense of smell. It happened gradually, over the course of a few weeks, but the loss was complete. My taste followed.

The timing was strange. I had just competed on MasterChef and was cooking like never before, frantic with experimentation. But the dishes I was making, the ones my friends and family loved, felt flat to me.

I started cooking from memory. Recalling what ingredients tasted like and working out, in my mind, how they might come together. It was focus and thought over sensation. That's where Journals came in. Writing the recipes down forced me to be methodical, so that when my smell returned, I'd be able to taste what everyone else already had.

In 2021, after more than four years, that day came. An operation, less than twenty minutes, and my smell came back. I still remember the exact moment, chopping parsley, when I noticed. It was euphoric.

To experience smell and taste for the first time again, at twenty-nine, with the knowledge and memory to understand what was happening, is something I cannot fully describe. A privilege.

Memories are among the most powerful things we have. They transport us, create emotion, build worlds. And there is no stronger link to memory than food.

That is why Journals exists.

I hope these recipes create great memories for you, as they have done for me.

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Matt