The Blog Awards Ireland & Starting that blog you have been thinking about!

It was a lovely surprise to wake up yesterday morning and discover that The Purple Page had been shortlisted for Best Food/Drink Blog in the Blog Awards Ireland. It’s a case of third time lucky for the blog as I was nominated in 2012 and 2013 but didn’t make it to the next round. There is some tough competition in there and I am up against some of my own favourite blogs too (check out Fiona’s Japanese Cooking, The Dublin Diary and The Beer Nut for starters!) so it is an honour to be included in the list. 

I started the blog with the intention of sharing great food and recipes but it has evolved massively since then. It is still all about great food but now it also includes all the wonderful events and festivals that happen around Ireland. The blog also became a way to connect with people after a move from Dublin to the Meath countryside. It is because of the blog that I discovered I am not a million miles away from a fab Indian, that there is great community of foodies in Meath and that they rock at putting on great events. It has made settling into country life a lot easier knowing that as much fun can be had as when I was living in Dublin though I do still love a good night out in the big shmoke!

The blog has also led me to learn loads of new things such as how to make pizza, how to make the perfect ramen, how to look after chickens and how to forage for food! So if you are thinking about starting a blog and have been humming and hawing about it for a while just go and do it. The hardest thing is writing that first post because you think ‘why in god’s name would people want to read what I write’. My advice is write for yourself about what you love and you will be surprised by how many people read it! 

Writing the blog has been a great learning curve and one I have immensely enjoyed. So even if I don’t make it to the final round I am delighted that I was shortlisted. Big thanks to everyone who nominated me and good luck to all the other fabulous bloggers in the shortlist. So take a little break, get yourself a cup of tea and go check them all out here.