Why I made it.
And who I made it for.
Got It? Make It! started with the way I actually cook at home — and the idea of making something useful for my daughter when she goes to university.
A cooking app designed to work WITH the person doing the cooking.
Got It? Make It! grew out of the way I actually cook at home — and the need for a decent cooking app that works with the user rather than against them.
I built the app to solve my own cooking problems. I didn't want something that simply gave me a huge library of recipes and left me to work everything else out. I wanted help with the everyday questions: What can I make with what I've got? How much do I need? What can I swap? What do I need to buy? And once I've started cooking, what do I do next?
Then there was another reason. I wanted to create something I could gift to my daughter when she goes to university — something that could help her decide what to cook, use what she already has, shop for what she's missing and guide her through actually making it.
That made me wonder whether other students might be looking for something similar. And then I realised it isn't only students. It could help anyone new to cooking, anyone who has never felt particularly confident in the kitchen, or simply someone who wants a bit of help getting a proper meal on the table without making cooking unnecessarily complicated.
Sometimes dinner starts in the garden.
I also grow some of my own herbs and vegetables — with varying degrees of success! When something is suddenly ready to pick, or I find myself with rather more of one vegetable than I expected, that often drives my enthusiasm for finding and developing a new recipe.
I don't like waste either. If something is sitting in the fridge and needs using, I'd much rather find a way to turn it into dinner than throw it away. That thinking is one of the reasons Got It? Make It! starts with what you've already got.
Finding a new way to cook.
My own problems tolerating gluten and dairy appeared around menopause. Foods that hadn't previously been a problem for me suddenly became much harder to live with.
I thought that was important to talk about because other people may find themselves in a similar position and wonder what on earth they're supposed to eat now. For me, the answer hasn't been to give up normal, enjoyable food. There are alternatives, and with a bit of adaptation many familiar meals can still work.
That experience is one of the reasons I care so much about making food that still feels like proper, everyday dinner rather than “special diet food”.
Food intolerances and digestive symptoms can have many causes. This is my own experience rather than medical advice.
I'm still experimenting.
Gluten-free and dairy-free substitutes can be particularly tricky when it comes to desserts. Some substitutions work beautifully. Others really don't!
I'm still experimenting, testing and developing more dessert recipes. If something isn't good enough, I don't want to include it simply so there's another recipe in the app.
More desserts are coming — they may just take me a little longer to get right.
Want the practical bit rather than my life story?
The screenshots, features and cooking philosophy are now grouped where they're easier to explore.