This is the first in a series of posts about Welsh food and travel bloggers. We have an excellent blogging community here in South Wales and I wanted to be able to introduce some of my favourites to you so that you can get to know them too!
Kacie is the author of The Rare Welsh Bit and her social media channels alone will make you drool. I’ve let her take over from here on answering a few questions and telling us what she loves about blogging. You’ll find her social links at the end of the post so go follow her, you won’t regret it.
Why did you start blogging?
I first began blogging because I was studying journalism at university and I wanted to develop a portfolio of published writing to show potential employers, and one of my careers advisors suggested I start a blog as a way of achieving this.
What has been your favourite experience as a result of blogging?
Even seven years into blogging, I still get excited whenever I meet someone new and they tell me they recognise the name of my blog, or that they read it. I also love it when readers contact me to thank me for reviews I’ve written which have inspired them to visit particular restaurants or destinations and they have gone on to have an amazing time there. I am very lucky to be able to travel with my job too, and I recently went on a fantastic press trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland with Becky from Munchies and Munchkins.
Boxty in Belfast:
While we were there, we attended BelFeast Food and Drink Festival, went on the Belfast Food Tour and ate at a number of fantastic restaurants, including the Michelin-starred OX Belfast and the Bull and Ram – home to what could be Belfast’s best roast dinner. We even found time for a spot of beer and cheese tasting, and a seafood chowder workshop at Belfast Cookery School. You’ll be able to read all about it soon over on my blog! In May, I will be covering Grenada Chocolate Festival and I can’t wait!
What do you think of the blogging community?
On the whole, the blogging community is very friendly and supportive, both on a local and national scale. Connecting with like-minded individuals is one of the things I enjoy the most about blogging and I have become close friends with a few of the bloggers who I have got to know over the years. If I am ever struggling with something blogging-related or just need a bit of advice, there is always another blogger that I can turn to for help, and I often help others out too.
Lamb Cawl at Milk and Sugar Cardiff.
How has blogging changed since you started?
The popularity of blogging has skyrocketed within the past 3-4 years. When I first began blogging, there weren’t a great deal of blogs around, but nowadays, there are thousands of blogs all over the world, covering just about every topic you can think of.
Whereas blogging used to be (for the large part) centred around hobbies and interests, it is now a way of making an income for many, including myself. However, making an income from blogging is hard work and so if you’re not genuinely passionate about what you’re blogging about in the first place, it’s very difficult to make money out of it. You need to love it so much, that you don’t mind spending all your spare time working on it – as that’s what it might take at times!
As the quantity of blogs has increased, it’s also become more important to share content across a range of platforms. When I first began blogging, I would write a post and then share it to my personal Facebook page and Twitter. These days, I spend much more time promoting my posts across several different platforms; it’s no longer just about producing quality content, but about knowing how best to promote it to your audience too.
Where would you like to see your blog in five years?
In five years’ time, I’d love to see my blog attracting a bigger audience, enabling me to monetise my blog more successfully through affiliate marketing, so I can use the income from this to cover my running costs and produce an income, as opposed to concentrating primarily on sponsored content. I also hope that I will have become better at video by then! I find the idea of editing video a little daunting, but I really need to get into it because it has huge potential in terms of helping me to improve my content.
One of the recipes on my site, Baked Brie in Puff Pastry:
Find me on:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
Favourite posts:
Black Bean, Coconut and Sweetcorn Stew The Occasional Vegan
Grenada Chocolate Festival
North East Wales Year of the Sea Food Challenge
Hungry in Hamburg: 5 of the Best Places to Eat
A Guide to Eating Out in Lagos, Algarve
Thanks for the feature Rebecca! I am honoured to be the first blogger to appear in your new guest post series.