Peggy van Rooyen

It took 17 years from deciding I wanted to be a chef to setting out to become one.

In 2009 I completed the diploma at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, then returned to London to work for Ottolenghi.

Since February 2010 I've been a freelance chef, based in London, but travelling wherever the work takes me, making the road to becoming a chef both a literal and a metaphorical one.

I write about the stories, skills and recipes I pick up on my journey.