I hope this newsletter finds you all in good health and that your larders are stocked suitably and adequately.  What a sad, challenging, catastrophic time this is for us all.

Given the current situation and uncertainty surrounding Coronavirus COVID-19, I wanted to touch base with you to give you an update about Cooking on the Bay.  I will continue to keep you informed during this period and will do so on the Cooking on the Bay Facebook page where I will be posting some shopping ideas, dinner dishes along with my long and old-time favourite recipes with pictures and videos as well.  I will master YouTube and share with you there also.  It will be interesting and fun.

We had the best Spanish Cuisine Cooking Class last weekend; sadly, it will now be the last for the next few weeks or months.  Like everything else, we will play it out day by day, week by week; but most likely month by month. 

All the Cooking on the Bay Gift Vouchers and cooking class bookings will remain safely with me for you to use when the Cooking School re-opens. Please email me with any queries.  Meanwhile, Gift Vouchers are still available for those of you who would like something to look forward to at the end of this time.  To order>>>

I will miss seeing you all very much and will stay in touch via Cooking on the Bay Facebook page.

This closure of cooking classes will give me some time to do things which I have been wanting to do for a very long time.  I am a great believer in the adage 'out of something bad, comes something good' and so I am planning some YouTube and Facebook videos on Cooking Real Food; on how to shop wisely, how to prepare stocks, certain of my long-time favourite recipes, many slow cooked dishes, what to cook quickly tonight for dinner, what to do with left-overs and such things.  Hopefully our available food will continue to all be Fresh, Real Food.  This is for your enjoyment, and some light, happy and pleasant relief from this serious world.  They will include some dishes like this zucchini, onion, bacon and mushroom fritata. It was so amazing and all the ingredients came from my friend, Leigh and Geoff's country garden and chooks.

It is Real Food which will help to keep us nourished and healthy as well as boosting our immune system to fight this covid-19.

I look forward to spending time with you via my Facebook Videos and YouTube.  As you will see, I am a novice in front of the camera but I will start slowly and will get better as time goes on. I will miss seeing you all here, cooking, chatting, swapping food and travel stories but this may inspire you to cook some simple, everyday dinners plus with left-overs for lunch!  The intention is for these to be a fun way for us to communicate. 

I will start with how to cook a good stock; and already on the facebook page is the recipe for a wonderfully easy chicken and tomato soup or stew which  is perfect to cook ahead for your evening dinner.  Try it this weekend!  I will talk you through the dishes, cook it and serve.  You can cook along with me.  It will be fun for me and hopefully useful to you all.

One of the joys in cooking with you all is when I recieve emails such as this...From Carla who attended last Sunday's Spanish Class

'Thank you Tonya for a wonderful and enjoyable day.  The food was amazing , your knowledge is great and I can’t wait to come back and do another class with my husband once the world is healthy again.' I do so look forward to seeing you back here cooking sometime soon.

Good bye for now....with best wishes from Tonya