About

My name is Anthony Silverbrow. I should be absolutely clear, Silverbrow is a nom de blog. Clarity is important. I always thought it was obvious Silverbrow is a fabricated surname. I now know that is not the case and things on the internet are not always as they appear in the real world. Thus my need for clarity.

I don't use my real surname because I do not want my blog to interfere with my career. Rest assured, my job has nothing to do with food. I do not intend to present myself as anything other than an amateur - I write on food primarily because I love food, and over time I've realised I love writing as well.

I think I can attribute my love of food and cooking to my mother. She let me run rampant in the kitchen, she constantly encouraged me and was a willing guinea pig, tasting anything I made. Another big influence was my maternal grandmother, who although she had simple taste, I now realise had great taste.

She also told great stories about food - a trait of Jewish grandmothers. One story that has stuck with me is of her grandmother's pickled cucumbers, home made and kept in a barrel by the back door. I'm not sure why this caught my imagination but it has done. I now pickle my own cucumbers, they are not in a barrel by the back door. I fear my wife, Silverbrowess would throw a wobbly.

Married life means Silverbrowess is now the guinea-pig. She is usually willing, sometimes not, but she is exceptionally understanding of this obsession of mine.

I love cooking and am rarely fazed in the kitchen. I am happy to have a go at anything but I am restricted by the rules of kashrut. I frequently write about what I cook, I also frequently rant about the state of kosher food, especially meat, in the UK. You can search the archives if you are interested to read more, but essentially the quality is crap and too many consumers are too tight and ignorant to lobby for better quality. I can be a bore on the topic. I long to find a way to alter this sorry state of affairs and still be able to afford to pay the bills.

I use the blog as a way of keeping notes on what I have cooked, what I have eaten and other food related issues that take my fancy. I am acutely aware that I have a lot to learn, especially when it comes to cooking. I do my best to cook as frequently as possible and read obsessively, whether books or other blogs. I enjoy the conversations the internet generates. Feel free to contact me or leave a comment if you want to be part of that conversation.