Hello there!
I’m Sam Nagtegaal, and I am delighted to welcome you to Cooking for Sanity; thank you so much for visiting.
About
Over the past ten years I’ve developed a process of integrating every aspect of the kitchen, from meal planning to help with organisation and budget, to creating a kitchen space which is welcoming and inspiring, which encourages you to be creative with your cooking and in which you can truly enjoy spending time.
My approach is focused on saving money and time, encouraging you to work with what you have, whilst feeling free to invest in durable utensils and equipment which will help you realise your full creative potential in the kitchen. I empower people to experiment with unfamiliar ingredients and cooking techniques, breaking down the barriers between what we think of as “food”, and what real food actually is. Encouraging people to cook from scratch with ingredients as close as possible to their natural state is of great importance to me, running alongside educating clients as to the best recipe resources and the enjoyment to be derived from opening a new cookbook or stumbling upon an unconventional recipe.
The kitchen may be a functional space, but this is surely all the more reason to ensure it is welcoming and comfortable. I can help clients work with their current kitchen arrangement to determine a more efficient workflow, inventory of equipment, and necessities to invest in, whilst at the same time creating an inviting and inspiring interior scheme to elevate your enjoyment. I can also work with you to create a new kitchen design, specialising in the use of online kitchen planners such as the Ikea Kitchen Planner for the main design, whilst sourcing accessories, door furniture, and other items from a limitless range of other suppliers to create a highly individual yet budget-friendly space.
With a creative background in Fine Art, interaction of colour and interior design have always been a huge influence on my life, and I am delighted to be able to combine these passions with my other lifelong love, that of food. I originally began Cooking for Sanity as a way to channel my creativity when I was struggling to fit it into a life with small children. Over these past ten years, my innate organisational and creative tendencies have combined, and have revealed to me a symbiotic relationship between every element relating to the kitchen. I want to share that knowledge with as many people as possible, empowering more and more people to feel fulfilled and to meet their creative potential in this space in which, of necessity, we spend so much time.
Please take a look at the Services page to see the different packages I offer, or Cooking Courses for a list of my unique and creative courses.