About Me

Hello! I'm Emma, a 22 year old student of pâtisserie.

When I started this blog in 2009, it was a way to capture my joy as I rediscovered cooking after living without a kitchen in my first year of university. I quickly realised that I had a single focus: baking and desserts. Though I had a patchy start, blogging kept me in the kitchen during my degree (I left Oxford University in June 2011 with a degree in English Language and Literature, specializing in medieval - yes, I am a geek).

I'm now studying pâtisserie at Le Cordon Bleu in London. I started in October 2011. I wanted to learn systematically from a variety of quality teachers who want to share their knowledge, so this was the course I chose.

**If you'd like to follow the things I make during my course, I upload a photo and description of each item onto Instagram and tweet it - so follow me @poireschocolat if you'd like to see them. **



Though I grew up in Devon (I have strong opinions about scones), my mum now lives in the Swiss Alps, so I spend a lot of time there. It's beautiful.

My life has always revolved around food. I was taught to cook by my mum and my late grandma, along with many cookery books. Many of my most cherished childhood memories focus on food, such as a preparing for a big party with everybody furiously working together in the kitchen or making jam with just-picked home garden fruit.

Sharing food is one of my favourite things to do. I love creating something with my hands and seeing it put a smile on someone's face. Giving pleasure, comfort, joy. I like sharing recipes too, for exactly the same reasons.

(That's my mum, below, hiding under the crop.)

(To explain many of the comments below - as well as the view above, I originally also had a view of Oxford and a view from my Swiss kitchen window on this page...)

I hope you enjoy reading my blog! Feel free to contact me by way of comment, twitter, facebook or email (emma [at] poiresauchocolat [dot] net).