About The Expat Cook

Hello, I’m Peter, the cook behind The Expat Cook.

I’m an English expat living in the north of Tenerife, away from the main tourist resorts and, more importantly, a long way from shops selling much in the way of British food.

I’m not a professional chef. I’m simply someone who enjoys cooking, trying different recipes and making the food I want to eat.

How The Expat Cook began

The idea for this site really started with a craving for a proper British pork pie.

I couldn’t find one locally, so I decided to make my own using ingredients I could buy here in Tenerife. That got me thinking about all the other familiar dishes that can be surprisingly difficult to find when you live abroad.

Sometimes the answer is to make something completely from scratch. Other times it means adapting a recipe because an ingredient that is commonplace in Britain simply isn’t available locally.

Those experiments gradually became The Expat Cook.

What you'll find here

British food is where the site began, and you'll still find plenty of the dishes I grew up with, including pies, cakes, scones and other traditional favourites.

But I’ve lived in Spain for many years and very much embraced Spanish food and Spanish life. I also enjoy Italian cooking and, quite simply, anything else that takes my fancy.

So the recipes here aren't limited to one particular cuisine.

You'll find:

• British favourites and recipes I remember from growing up
• Spanish dishes and food inspired by life in Tenerife
• Italian recipes
• Baking and cakes
• Everyday meals
• Recipes made from scratch when the ready-made version isn't available

Recipes from a real kitchen

Everything on The Expat Cook comes from the sort of kitchen most people actually cook in.

I don't have a professional test kitchen, a team of food stylists or cupboards full of specialist ingredients. I cook at home with ingredients I can realistically buy locally and equipment that most home cooks are likely to have.

If an ingredient is difficult to find, I'll often experiment with alternatives. If I discover that a particular method works better, I'll say so. And if there's a useful lesson from making a recipe several times, I'll include that too.

My aim is to write recipes that are practical, approachable and clear enough that you can make them yourself without having to guess what I meant.

Cooking abroad

Living abroad changes the way you cook.

Ingredients you once took for granted can suddenly become difficult to find, while completely new ingredients and dishes become part of everyday life.

For me, that's one of the enjoyable things about cooking.

Sometimes I'm recreating something I remember from England. Sometimes I'm cooking a Spanish dish I've discovered here. Sometimes I'm trying to make an Italian recipe as traditionally as possible.

And sometimes I'm simply deciding what I fancy for dinner.

That's what you'll find on The Expat Cook: the food I actually cook, the recipes that work for me, and hopefully a few that will become favourites in your kitchen too.

Thanks for visiting.

Peter The Expat Cook