Meet: Rach Colling

We knew we were going to enjoy Rach’s blog when we read her slogan: All You Need is Cake. She is the first mum to be interviewed in a series we’re hoping to run on this blog.

Read more to find out about the awesome recipe blog she’s writing for her daughter, how she finds time to blog and who she’d like us to interview next.

Tell us about your kid/s. How old are they? What are their names?

I’ve got one daughter, Millie, who’s three. She’s a real star - she loves
kittens and prancing about in princess dresses, but is also a big fan of
Iggy Pop, camping and climbing. She’s constantly surprising us.

What do you blog about?

Oh, anything and everything, from the latest antics of Millie’s toy cat,
Captain Jack (don’t ask), to work-related stuff and gardening. If I’m
honest, it’s mostly about gardening at the moment - I’ve just taken on an
allotment with my friend Gill, and am fighting a losing battle against the
slugs. It also means I get the excuse to post lots of pictures!

I’ve also got another blog called Recipes for Millie - I’m writing down everything I cook
over the course of a year, so I can pull all the recipes together into a
book for Millie to use when she’s older. I’d love to know the sort of
everyday stuff my Mum cooked me in the 1970s - so I thought I’d write it all
down for her.

What’s your most read post?

This one. It’s about a trip to Edinburgh we went on last year, for my other half’s
birthday. Most visitors seem to be looking for “great days out in the rain”
- which says a lot about our weather!

How do you find the time to blog?

Ah, the million-dollar question. Sometimes I wish I could create another
extra 5 hours in each day, because then I’d be able to fit things like
blogging in. I try and blog once or twice a week at Nappy Mountain (and post
recipes to Recipes for Millie as soon as we make them), but when I’ve got a
lot of work it might fall by the wayside. (Although, if I’m procrastinating
over work, writing a blog post is really appealing!). I have all these plans
of getting up early and writing, but in reality it’s usually late at night
that it gets done!

How long have you been blogging?

Since March 2002. I started off writing a (now defunct) blog about food
called Exploding Chef, but that kind of fell by the wayside once my daughter
arrived. View from Nappy Mountain started when she was about six months old,
and I had a bit more time to myself again.

Whose blog are you reading right now?

I love Patroclus, the amazing Superhero Journal, and Landcroft House (Silvana Franco’s recipes are fab - ).

What’s your day job?

I’m a freelance writer and editor, working mostly with the higher education,
architecture and sustainable communities sectors. Most of the work I do is
online, so it’s easy to work from home and fit in work around looking after
Millie.

Crisps or cake?

Ooh, cake every time. I love baking, especially with Millie. Even though the
kitchen flour is usually covered with flour afterwards!

Robot, ninja or pirate?

Ninja - the flattering black wins me over every time.

What do you wish you’d known before you had kids?

How much fun you have and how funny they are! We’ve tried to write some of
Millie’s sayings down - she’s comes out with these grown-up phrases in a
voice not unlike the Queen!

I also never thought I would have such an encyclopedic knowledge of the
works of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Millie went through a Cats and Joseph phase),
Shaun the Sheep, or Strictly Come Dancing..

Do you have a pet?

Yes, a small grey cat called Rustle, who competes for Millie’s affection
with Captain Jack. Rustle is currently desperate to bring us the entire
sparrow population of Gateshead - she insists on releasing them into the
hall and then sits there, miaowing proudly while the house descends into
chaos.

Who should we talk to next?

Miss Meep: She posts the most beautiful photos (and I suspect likes cakes even more than me).

Got a comment?