It was a trip to the beautiful area of South Devon, near the small port town of Dartmouth, that started it all.

I am Japanese, and have lived in Japan my whole life, but the natural beauty of South Devon, and the bubbling energy of the people who live there, struck a chord.

And what got me excited more than anything else was the wonderful local food available at every turn. The richness of the sea food, meat and vegetables. And the grinning pride of the people who produce and sell it.

And at the same time I realised that although Japanese food is, to my delight, hugely popular in the UK, there is very little real Japanese food available. (In fact, much of the food sold as “Japanese” in the shops is not actually Japanese at all!)

There is so much wonderful food in Japan that is still almost unknown overseas. And maybe, too, there is still a bit of mystery surrounding Japanese cuisine?

Of course, Japanese cooking isn’t really mysterious at all –  here in Japan we cook and eat it every day!

But the sad truth is that as western food becomes more and more common in Japan, the traditional techniques and flavours are beginning to be forgotten even here.

So try a bowl of real miso soup, made with homemade dashi and good, rich miso!

Or how about a traditional British meat pie, with a spoonful of dark miso in the sauce?

I decided to take the wonderful local produce available in the UK, and bring it to life with traditional Japanese flavours and techniques.

The best food from two countries, for your kitchen table – welcome to The Miso Tree!

Nolly Kawamura