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About Gastrolad

Gastrolad and a chicken - who came first?

 "When Tom eats a rare breed, heritage variety, in season, locally sourced (and preferably foraged) apple, he becomes...Gastrolad"

Conceived in the broom cupboard of a well known London restaurant, Gastrolad showed a precocious ability with food and drink from an early age. A renowned child prodigy, his early years were spent amongst the great and the good. Royalty, captains of industry and performers from stage and screen all queued to get a glimpse of him in action, and for a while he was the toast of Europe's capital cities. However, the good times could not last. The combination of a gruelling schedule and his parents’ greed and exploitation of their wunderkind meant that Gastrolad was forced to retire from public engagements aged only nine years and seven months.

Aching for normality, Gastrolad assumed the identity of an ordinary nine year old child, and repressed the culinary skills which had been both the making and breaking of him. Those who came across him during those wilderness years could have known nothing of his previous incarnation, the only clue being the A* grade he achieved in his GCSE Food Technology examination aged thirteen. 

Following a conventional path through secondary and tertiary education, Gastrolad found himself once again drawn to the bright lights of London, the city that had seen both his career highs – an appearance as guest of honour at the Royal Variety Performance – and lows – a breakdown during a cookery demonstration after the collapse of a cheese soufflé. Here, his love of food was rekindled and feeling the need to once again communicate his love with the world, ‘Gastrolad - The Blog’ was born.

His identity remains a secret, but wherever you find a perfectly made macaroon, a well executed tart au citron or a rare roast rib of beef, you will know that he lives on through the food he makes.

p.s. alright, so that's a load of bollocks. If you're interested in the other version of  how this blog was born, it can be found here.