Hey…I’m Safira
Nice to meet you. I am the recipe writer and photographer for TiffinandTea and I live in Leicester, UK.
Blog
This blog is a reflection of how we eat now.
We like fast and easy recipes, as well as healthy fresh recipes and creative recipes.
- The Fast and Easy recipes are for busy week days. They do not compromise on flavour.
- The Healthy and Fresh recipes are delicious made with store cupboard ingredients.
- The Creative Recipes are clever and full of flavour but they are still easy to make!
All the recipes here are made using everyday ingredients. If you cannot find something, I will always suggest a replacement. We give you plenty of tips and tricks along the way so that you can adjust a recipe and make it your own.
Check out our Lamb Bhuna Recipe above.
How it all began
Tiffin and Tea started at a time when I was really struggling with my mental health. At the time my daughter was 3 and my son was 4. I was mentally and physically exhausted and in the midst of all of that, I discovered that baking and cooking had a way of relieving anxiety.
The name just felt like a natural fit. We loved tea and I used to pack a tiffin for my husband to take to work with him. I also associated a tiffin with travelling and that is something I wanted to do a lot of.
I had learnt very little about cooking before I got married. I just about knew the basics.
Over time I learnt how to make a variety of dishes and I really began to enjoy the process too. All the learning helped me to fix my relationship with food too.
People were always asking me for recipes and I thought a blog would be the perfect place to share them.
I have found that like me, some had never had the opportunity or desire to learn to cook or bake. So when they did want to learn, I wanted them to have a safe space to learn at a pace that suited them.
The blog is focussed on feel good family food. I genuinely believe that anyone can cook and I share both easy and slightly more complicated recipes here.
Check out our Chicken Hakka Noodles recipe.
My Background
I have worked a number of jobs over the years. In my last job I worked in a very busy HR role.
Today, I am lucky to do a job I love – Creating and sharing recipes from around the world.
My mum has and always will be someone who I look to for inspiration. She made the most delicious food throughout our childhood and continues to do that for us whenever we are in town. Although we struggled financially, her creativity never made it feel that way. We ate the BEST food.
Check out our Quick and Easy (No Yeast) Doughnuts recipe.
Food Inspo
The food here is inspired by global cuisine. There are some lovely bread and indulgent dessert recipes thrown in too. I love baking and to me, it feels magical to take a few simple ingredients and watch them transform into something amazing.
I love to learn by reading, watching cooking shows or programmes and following experts to learn new tricks and tips. My bulging book shelf needs a clear out but there are some books that I will never part with such as Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.
I believe that food is there to be enjoyed and moderation is what works for us. Sometimes we eat a Chicken Salad and other times we eat a Cookie Dough.
This space has adapted as I/we have evolved. This is how we eat now and it is how our way of eating has adapted over time as a result of learning about what works for us.
I hope you find something here that you will love here. Thank you for allowing me into your kitchen and home.
Check out our Mexican Chicken Salad recipe here.
What you will find on my blog:
- Simple, tasty recipes made using everyday ingredients.
- Recipes we love – I will not put a recipe on the blog that I don’t like just for the sake of a trend. It has to taste great to be on the blog
- Indian recipes that are easy to make.
- Exciting new ideas for midweek meals and indulgent bakes.
- Classics that we all love.
- Salads and Healthy recipes that don’t make you feel like you are missing out.
- Recipes for a crowd – I am from an Indian family so we are used to cooking for a crowd!
- Tried and tested recipes – We test our recipes and then retest them with variations and different methods.
Check out our Cookie Dough recipe.
Check out our Lamb Leg recipe.
Check out our Trilece recipe.
Check out our Nan Khatai recipe.
Check out our Baked Mac and Cheese recipe.
Check out our Chocolate Tiffin recipe. The first recipe ever!
Check out our Palak Dal Recipe.
Check out our Honey Buns recipe.
Check out our Traybake Salmon recipe.
I want you to feel like I am in the kitchen cooking right beside you.
I will be sharing a post sharing all the tools and gadgets we use in the kitchen soon!
Healing
I have studied Tibb/Natural Medicine as well as Energy Healing/Breath Work/RTR. Healing and Spirituality is an area of huge interest for me and I occasionally write about these things too.
Photography
I am also a keen photographer and work with brands and businesses regularly. Please contact me for more information.
I will be sharing the BTS and tips and tricks on food photography via the blog soon.
My current Camera is the Canon 6d Mark II.
Say Hello
Please feel free to email me. I love hearing from you. If I don’t respond immediately it is because I am snowed under but I will get back to you at some point.