i am a 33 year old marketing professional who constantly dreams of baking cakes for a living instead. i’m originally turkish (but lived in the uk for the last 10 years) and coming from a culture of rich cuisine and a family of fantastic cooks, i enjoy experimental cooking and eating good food. i love cooking for special occasions or ordinary days, i love feeding my family and friends. i’m also constantly trying to keep food interesting for my digestively challenged husband andy. he has intolerances to beef, lamb, yeast and worst of all dairy.

i must be a lucky woman with 4 wonderful helpers in my kitchen. i have two andrew james helpers – one of them is the human andrew james, andy the husband. then there is andrew james the robot, my wonderful stand mixer. and then we have bobby and toby, two mischievous cats!

i admit i am a lazy person but i try to photograph and write about it whenever i cook something interesting. you will notice the lazy influence on what i cook/bake. if there’s an easier way of doing something, i will go for it as long as it doesn’t compromise the taste.

if you come across this blog and end up trying a recipe, i would love it if you come back to drop me a line and give feedback.

enjoy your stay!

ayca x

p.s. mandalina is tangerine in turkish. it’s my favorite fruit and its beautiful dark orange is my favorite colour.