Some butter s'il vous plaît! Yes, you read that right, I’m really craving the rich and satisfying flavour of butter these days! In moments like this, I feel the need to satisfy my taste buds with flavours that can boost my mood and make my days amid coronavirus crisis a bit more tolerable.

Food is deeply interwoven with our emotional state and that has become crystal clear these days. It’s a strange and odd time. Our lives are defined by factors we no longer control and choose for ourselves. Not being in control has brought to the surface feelings of fear, anxiety and insecurity, so it comes as no surprise that we all seek some much needed warmth and comfort in food.

In an effort to eat healthy as much as possible, we gradually started excluding certain foods from our diet and added a few new ones. That’s something I’ve certainly done myself and continue to do so. Unfortunately, following a clean diet and detoxing meant that we had to sacrifice a few of our favourite guilty pleasures.

For years, I kept a somewhat guilty distance from certain foods and avoided any unnecessary fats, too much sugar or salt, fried junk food.. Luckily I always tried to remain moderate and keep my sanity instead of going crazy over how healthy or unhealthy some ingredients are but at the same time, I intentionally avoided certain foods. It was only when I stopped seeing these foods as enemies and occasionally indulged myself that I managed to put an end to my addiction to them. A forbidden fruit is always more tempting, as we all know.

It took years of trying to get rid of any unnecessary guilt associated with certain foods until I finally started reintroducing some of them into my diet. I began to consume full-fat cheese and yogurt again, just in smaller quantities, and decided to set aside all low-fat products. I’ve never been a fan of excess anyway which also explains the idea behind Not Guilty Food, a place where no food is guilty or harmful as long as we use it in moderation and as part of a balanced diet.

But what are some of these infamous forbidden fruits? Well, they vary according to everyone’s taste. Most people find chocolate and desserts in general extremely satisfying, others cannot resist to potato chips, a few more glasses of wine or pastry and cheese breadsticks.. There’s a reason why they’re called happy foods, after all! Have you ever heard of anyone relaxing after an exhausting day with granola bars and rice cakes with linseed? Didn’t think so.

Our lives are already inundated with so many rules and high levels of stress, so why not press pause to detoxing and dieting for a while and allow ourselves to indulge in some of our favourite guilty pleasures? Let’s add that little extra something to our diet that will give us joy and contentment and will make our hearts overflow with guilt-free delight! What if we gain one or two extra pounds? It’s not the end of the world!

Lately, without even realising it, I started seeking some of these flavours, these little guilty pleasures that I normally try to keep away from. And just like that, I came back from the supermarket with three different types of butter. Ah, butter, an ingredient I absolutely adore and have been avoiding for years even though I’m perfectly aware of its nutritional value. Despite that, I always tried to replace it with something less fattening and lighter. Obviously, nothing could ever replace its taste successfully.

I just had to give in to the absolute sin of the most delicious buttered potatoes ever! Butter and potatoes, probably the most perfect combination anyone could think of. Crispy, scrumptious buttered potatoes with thyme. Perfection, both in flavour and appearance. The rich, luscious taste and velvety feel of butter makes the outcome so much more satisfying and complete. It reminded me of how important it is to pamper and spoil ourselves every once in a while with food that speaks to our hearts!