Meet Marty
Hi, I’m Marty Shanahan, ‘The Backyard Cook’.
Welcome to my online home, where you’ll find my recipes for fresh, flavoursome meals that are simple to prepare. I’ll be adding recipes to the site regularly, so be sure to check in for my latest creations.
I’m a father of three and a self-taught, passionate foodie who has always loved to cook, but took charge in our kitchen to help out my darling wife when our first child arrived. Now, with three kids, I feel like I’m in there all the time.
How did I end up becoming ‘The Backyard Cook’? After working in the advertising and marketing industry for many years and constantly sharing my culinary creations with friends and family, I finally listened to their advice, which was to change tack and do what I love – and boy, do I love food. So I took a leap of faith and taught myself to cook, photograph and style food and now I’m lucky enough to do it for a living.
I have a wood-fired oven in the backyard (my pride and joy) and a few too many BBQs. I’m a big fan of all kinds of cuisine and nothing is off-limits because that’s how I’ve learnt, simply by challenging myself to get into the kitchen to try anything and everything.
Food represents many different things to many people and cultures, but for me it simply boils down to sharing great food with friends, family and loved ones. Plus, life is too damn short not to enjoy good food.
So I’m on a journey, a delicious discovery if you will. Here, I’ll share my creations, my inspirations and my travels and I’d love you to come along with me.
