Gordon Hamilton, From Wishaw, Lanarkshire, United Kingdom, 507 Fans, 264 Hubs, Joined 5 years ago
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Simone Smith interviews Gordon Hamilton
Insights from a cooking, fishing, and travel enthusiast
You are famous on HubPages for your fabulous recipes. What first inspired you to begin sharing them?
Well, I don't know about famous, Simone, but thank you very much for the compliment! I actually started writing online on a part-time basis at a time in my life when I had given up secure employment to try and build my own business. It was a huge risk and money was very tight. I decided that sharing something I was already doing every day would be a good way of earning some level of supplementary income. I soon learned that the process was incredibly addictive and rewarding, from much more than a financial perspective.
Have you always been interested in the culinary arts?
Literally as far back as I can remember, yes. I am reliably informed that the first word I ever spoke as a very young child was, "More," (in relation to what I was being fed at the time). I also remember one of my uncles making fabulously inventive meals when I visited or for family gatherings. I was fascinated from a very young age. My uncle learned a lot about getting the most out of whatever food was available while serving in the Armed Forces. He taught me not only specific tricks with food but also to always be looking to expand my horizons, create new dishes from whatever I may have available, develop new techniques, and to be original and expansive in my thinking.
In addition to cooking fish, you are also quite skilled at catching them- and have written some fabulous Hubs on fishing and taking fishing trips to various areas of the UK. They're quite instructive- where did you get all of your fishing know-how?
A love of fishing and of the sea is something I inherited from both sides of my family. My Dad took me fishing long before I ever set foot in a school classroom. I was also very lucky to be born and raised in the West of Scotland, where the waters were, at that time, a fisherman's paradise. Sadly, mankind has in recent years put an end to much of that through over-fishing and horrific commercial fishing practices. I have fished with many skilled fishermen over the years, gleaning knowledge and experience all the time. In the late 1990's, I won a contest in the British magazine, Sea Angler, for a week's intensive fishing coaching. I learned from one of the world's renowned experts, John Rawle, a regular on TV and former tackle consultant for the American manufacturing giant, Penn. A fishing friend and I travelled to Essex (East of London) for what was an incredibly enjoyable and rewarding experience. It was a trip I will never forget. My only huge regret is that I lost all my photos during a later house move, as they were not digital at that time.
A third type of Hub you frequently published is that related to travel in general- and those Hubs are gorgeous! What is the next place on your travel hit list?
Yes, I've been very lucky to have visited a number of beautiful places. In the past couple of years I haven't really done any travelling outside of the UK, but I hope to get back to it soon. My number one ambition is to do a culinary tour of the coastal areas of Southern Italy. I love the Mediterranean diet and cuisine; particularly the fresh fish and seafood dishes. To experience the region first hand and perhaps learn some tips from the local masters is a big ambition. I'm really hoping to arrange it during the summer of 2013.
HubPages is not the only place online where you publish- where else can your followers find you?
To be honest, I've actually lost count of the number of writing sites I've tried over the past five years or so. Most of them I've quickly abandoned. Funnily enough, the only three I still regularly contribute to are the very first three I joined back in 2007: Helium, Squidoo and of course, HubPages. Other than those sites, I have a few blogs, one of which is particularly successful and came about entirely by accident. In early 2009, I found myself searching online for "What should I have for dinner tonight?" Fairly disillusioned by the quality of the responses, I decided to start a blog by the same name and have been amazed by how quickly it became successful.
Are your online writing ventures part of a larger plan? What is your reason for sharing the great guides and recipes you create?
I don't think I really have a bigger plan, other than to continue to build my own portfolio and hopefully show others the benefits of cooking with fresh ingredients to create simple, tasty, and healthy meals. I've never been a fan of fast foods/junk foods.
You have more than enough recipes to fill several cookbooks at this point. Have you ever considered publishing one- or have you published one already?
This is something that has actually been suggested to me on a number of occasions by different people. It is something I would love to do, but my biggest enemy is time. I have so many ideas that trying to pursue them all is a practical nightmare. I literally spend about an hour every day or so revising and re-prioritising my "to do" list. Some of those commitments have to be fulfilled within strict timescales. If I were to obtain a publisher's interest for a cookbook, the time commitment required would be substantial. It is, however, something I will definitely keep in mind.
In general, your Hubs are wonderfully written, well laid out, and filled with beautiful, original photos- I'm clearly a fan! What advice would you give to beginners who would someday like to create work at your level?
Thank you very much, Simone. There is of course a huge wealth of information on this subject on HubPages already, but for me, the best advice I was ever given is to never believe you know it all and have reached the pinnacle of your own abilities. Looking to improve, diversify, and create something different and new is imperative to online writing success. In relation to cooking, as a simple example, devise your own recipes. Don't constantly rehash someone else's ideas. Don't think about recipes in the beginning, think basic ingredients. Think about how you can cook and combine them and take good photos as you are preparing the meal. Quality and originality of content on frequently-searched subjects has to be the most important consideration for me.
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