To contact me, please email me on ren@renbehan{dot}com

Hello – I’m Ren, thank you for visiting my blog!

I set up my food blog (originally called Fabulicious Food!) in November 2010, during an extended career break from law after our first child was born. I had started to read food blogs to keep me inspired whilst on maternity leave and was poised to hit the ‘publish’ button a few times myself, though I didn’t quite have the courage to take that first step.

I still remember the first few blogs that I followed and I’m still friends with the people who continue to write them. I had written a few articles for my local parenting magazine and chaired our local NCT, but as a keen cook and avid collector of cookery books, I felt happiest in the kitchen. Still unsure about starting a blog, I signed up for a Diploma in Food Journalism through the College of Media and Publishing. My first homework task was to set up a domain and a food blog and thus, renbehan.com was born. Over the next year or so, I found more and more things to write about and eventually completed the course, gaining a distinction. Never one to sit back and take things easy, I signed up for a course in food styling at Leiths School of Food and Wine. I also set about improving my photography skills and carried on writing as much as I could.

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I was born and raised in Manchester, to Polish parents who had settled in Britain after the Second World War. I studied Contemporary East European Studies in London at UCL and at the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies. Following a post-graduate law degree at the College of Law in London, I became a solicitor and began living and working in Richmond, before settling down with Ed and moving to the bustling market town of St Albans.

Even as a lawyer, I always very much enjoyed cooking and taking food classes and courses. It is fair to say, that I have always been slightly obsessed with food, having grown up in a Polish-speaking, food-loving household with a mother who is a brilliant cook and the best host. As a family we always seemed to be celebrating something – it was party central with a steaming pot of Polish bigos stew on the stove and plates stacked high with pierogi.

Once I became a mother myself, blogging about my adventures in food seemed like a natural way to share my stories. Our children are now 10, 7 and 3 and life, between children, home renovations and food writing is pretty busy.

Starting my blog almost seven years ago opened up many new doors for me and I regularly enjoy looking back at my journey. I have learnt how to be self-driven and how to build a community, thanks to my readers and food writing friends. Cooking and writing about food has enabled me to stay at home and gain many new skills within a completely new industry.

After a couple of years of ‘hobby blogging,’ I began being approached to undertake brand collaborations and freelance commissions and I secured a couple of regular online feature columns. I set up a small business which I called Ren Behan Food and slowly but surely, a new career had emerged from the comfort of my dining room table.

I now continue to write here, as well as for other foodie publications, both online and in print. I have contributed to Great British Chefs, JamieOliver.Com, UKTV Food, Huff Post Food and cross the pond, I have written articles for sites such as Food 52.com. In print, my recipes, particularly my Polish ones, have been featured in delicious. magazine and in BBC Good Food.

My food writing and work with brands grew from strength to strength and I began thinking about ways to diversify; running pop ups and improving my food photography. Eventually, after much hard work, a second and a third baby, plenty of dedication and a continued belief in a somewhat unusual idea about writing a book on modern Polish food, in 2015 I signed with HHB Literary Agency and soon after, was offered a book contract with Pavilion Books.

My first book, Wild Honey and Rye, Modern Polish Recipes, will be published on 7th September 2017 and as I hit the seven year mark, the adventure continues.

Cooking, for me, has never been a chore. It has always been about experimenting with new flavours, or techniques. By keenly reading cookbooks and food magazines and through nurturing my culinary heritage and Polish roots, I have found many great rewards and avenues of inspiration. I hope that this is just the beginning.

I am always happy to share my advice on blogging and food writing so please do connect with me via email (ren {at} renbehan {dot} com or find me on social media as @renbehan 

If you are thinking of starting your own blog, Pinch of Yum have some great resources and if you’re thinking of writing a cook book, or a blog, I read Will Write for Food by Dianne Jacob. Dianne can also coach you on how to write a strong book proposal.

On my blog you’ll find –

  • Seasonally-inspired recipes
  • Ideas for family-friendly food (we eat all the recipes I blog)
  • The odd big chocolate cake/sweet treat
  • Recipes and reviews of new cookbooks and sometimes kitchen/food product reviews
  • Write-ups of blog events/food festivals
  • Links to other blogs/websites that I personally read or recommend
  • Polish recipes inspired by the food I grew up eating and my recent travels to Poland

I hope that my blog will always be a place to connect with the outside world and share my love of good food.

Please feel free to leave comments, it’s a wonderful way to interact and it would be really lovely to hear from you.

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Beetroot Soup from Wild Honey and Rye, Photo Yuki Sugiura