Welcome! A bit about this space ...
Come and meet me, Abi, and find out what you can expect from The Skillful Woman x
Welcome to The Skillful Woman!
I am Abi and pictured above, is me with one of our two white fluffy dogs, Daisy.
I started my substack over a year ago but didn’t have much of an idea of what I wanted to write about. Then, in November 2023, our family’s life changed drastically and in a matter of 24 hours, I needed to pivot and provide grain-free meals to our youngest son. It cooked my brain.
I already knew I was gluten intolerant but getting our son’s medical diagnosis pushed me to take my own diet a lot more seriously. For those first months, I struggled a lot. And to be honest, I still do. There is a lot to process, from handling kids birthday parties, to insensitive comments, to hardly ever being cooked for because others aren’t sure how to cater for someone who is eating a grain-free diet.
I scoured the internet, looking for an ally who had published content that would help me and make me feel a little less alone. At that point, I wasn’t even looking for recipes, I was looking for someone who had written about their own experiences. I’m sure they’re are out there, but I didn’t find any back then.
And so, I started writing more about my experience here, on Substack.
My other passion, which I will be writing more about in this space, is herbalism. I’m currently studying herbalism, formally, but it’s been a passion of mine for over three years. More and more, our world is becoming aware of the value in natural remedies and, although chemicals are useful in certain situations, they don’t need to be in everything we consume or put on our skin.
What you will find here:
Grain-free recipes, primarily using whole foods.
Reflective pieces , usually centered on our social experiences eating grain-free and managing our toddler who is gluten intolerant.
Practical ways of managing a grain-free diet
Some PDF recipe downloads, so you can print and file any that take your fancy
Herbalism recipes and information
An ally. I’m in the trenches of navigating life without gluten and feeding a young family. I’ve cried, I’ve felt frustration, I’ve felt anxiety, but I’ve also felt victorious. I’m here to discuss your challenges and share in your hooray moments.
Is it for Free?
For now, everything on The Skillful Woman is accessible to all. However, the plan is to turn on paid subscriptions at some point. So, enjoy everything I have to offer and what I ask for in return, is that you subscribe and share The Skillful Woman publically, so more people can discover my writing.
Thank you x
