Food just tastes better when it’s shared. Whether you’re squeezed around a tiny wooden table at your favourite hole-in-the-wall, holding a glass of wine while grazing at a friend’s birthday spread, or working your way through a beautifully curated tasting menu, eating together always elevates the moment.

In our home, we’ve made eating together a priority. It’s something both Philip and I grew up with, family meals were non-negotiable. And now, as parents, we’ve seen firsthand just how powerful those shared meals can be. There’s something about gathering around a table, putting the phones away, passing dishes hand to hand, and actually seeing each other, not just in passing, but really seeing.

Sometimes it starts with planning the meal together. Sometimes it’s simply setting the table or stirring the sauce. These small acts are tiny threads that, over time, weave something strong and beautiful: connection.

One of the most surprising things I’ve learned as our kids have grown older is this, even when they retreat to their rooms, pull away a little (as teenagers do), a home-cooked meal has a way of drawing them back in. Fill the house with familiar smells, roasting garlic, baking bread, slow-cooked anything, and like clockwork, they’ll appear. Hungry, curious, ready to sit for just a little while.

Eating together is ancient. It’s human. The word community comes from commune, to share, to be with. This act of gathering, of slowing down and feeding each other, has always been the starting point. It’s where we build. It’s where we grow. It’s where we come home.