Firstly, I would like to introduce myself my name is Janine Al Annan.
I was born in Switzerland to Lebanese parents and I am currently living in Manchester U.K. My life is exactly like my personality a little bit all over the place lol! 😀
Why Extra Toom?
Extra toom means extra garlic in Lebanese Arabic and if you know me you know my obsession with garlic. I use it pretty much in everything from Savoury recipes to home remedies like getting rid of acne even on mosquito bites it works trust me!
I always say if there was ever a dessert to be made using garlic I will be the first to jump in the queue, I am not sure why but I will be definitely curious to try haha!
I am a food blogger and recipe developer, I spend most of my day developing Mediterranean/Middle eastern style recipes that are influenced by my heritage, combined with my passion for art that I share daily across all my social media platforms including my website.
I have gained six years of experience in the food industry where I achieved my NVQ level two in hospitality and catering, alongside working in demanding kitchens.
My experience and skills got me all the way to Masterchef UK 2021 Where I won a coveted Masterchef apron and received strong feedback from judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace about my knowledge and great understanding of flavours After that I decided to take my skills to the next level by completing my level three advanced technical diploma in professional cookery at the Manchester College.
My Journey with food doesn’t end here as I’m currently developing my own brand “ Extra Toom “ And hoping once I graduate from college to start my catering and online food business as well as join the Manchester street food market by summer 2022.
My Achievements :
- My Tabouleh salad recipe hit 132k on Youtube
- My Basbousa recipe hit 166K on Tiktok
- I made it to 16th on Masterchef UK out of 15000 applicants.
- I won the Olive magazine cook the cover competition and my pasta recipe was featured in the October 2021 issue.
- Finalist in the Keen Home Cook competition 2022 sponsored by Teflon and ICG.