Hi there! I’m April J Harris, a writer, housewife, mother, frequent traveller, recipe developer & blogger. It’s lovely to ‘meet’ you!
My husband and I live in a village in the south of England. We are frequent travellers and we spend a lot of time tripping over the half packed or unpacked suitcases that occasionally threaten to take over our house!
I grew up in Ontario, Canada. A writer with a burning desire to see the world, I emigrated to England in my early twenties. My late Grandma had kept in close touch with her British family, and after her death my mother had continued the correspondence. Due to this, and a rather wonderful twist of fate, I met my Prince Charming, not long after I arrived. You can read more about that in this blog post (which also features a rather yummy recipe for a super-easy Chocolate Cake!).
My fiancé and I set up housekeeping in London. Eighteen months after we met, we had a fairytale wedding, complete with a meringue wedding dress and a bouquet designed after the one Princess Diana had carried. Four years after I arrived in the UK, our son was born. With the three of us and our two crazy cats, our family was complete. I became a full time housewife and stay at home Mom. Of all the roles I have fulfilled, this is my absolute favourite.
We’ve lived all around England, from London, to Kent and the Midlands, and now Berkshire. Our cat boys were with us for 18 years, our son grew up and went to college in Canada, returning home a few years later (to my great relief!). Not long ago he moved out on his own, and is now based in East Anglia. Through it all, I have continued to write. It’s part of my DNA.
The 21st Century Housewife
My first website, launched in 2002, featured a collection of essays to encourage other housewives and stay at home moms/mums like myself. Christened The 21st Century Housewife, it was almost more a social commentary than a blog. However, as blogging developed into a ‘thing’, my readers began to get in touch, and I expanded the subjects I covered. From there, The 21st Century Housewife evolved into a lifestyle website with a heavy emphasis on food.
April J Harris
In August 2014, I rebranded and relaunched the blog under my own name, April J Harris. It’s gone from strength to strength, and earlier this year (2018) we redesigned once again. Featuring delicious home cooking, travel and style, my mission is to inspire you to expand your horizons, both at home and away.
I hope you will join me to try new recipes, visit new places and strive with me to become our very best selves. Life is an adventure and I love sharing it with you!
Writing
My recipes and articles have been featured in several publications, including The Chicago Sun Times online, Chefs.com, TravelingMom.com, Olive magazine and Love It! magazine.
I am currently working on my first cookbook, a collection of vintage family recipes perfect for the modern kitchen.