Most flavour fanatics we come across have at least one of Anna’s cookbooks on their kitchen shelf. Always seasonal, sometimes complex, and never a disappointment; Anna’s recipes are simply delicious. She’s brilliant at pulling together satisfying meals that feel good to eat. We couldn’t think of anyone better to open our new Flavour Curious series.
Read on to discover Anna’s favourite unexpected flavour combinations. And why a bar of Dairy Milk brings back nostalgic family memories.
1. If we came over to your place, what would we find on your kitchen table?
Usually a bowl of lemons, some flowers (today there’s purple tulips), some beeswax candles, and most likely a few of my son, Dylan’s, toys.
2. What unexpected flavour combination do you love?
Tomatoes and mint. Peanut butter and kimchi. Lemon and chocolate.
3. Can you sum up what type of cook you are in three words?
Vibrant, intuitive, seasonal.
4. Is there a food, flavour or recipe that is instant nostalgia for you?
I spent my first few years living close to the Cadbury’s chocolate factory in Bournville. We were a Cadbury’s family. Out of my dad’s eleven brothers and sisters, at least six of them worked at Cadbury’s. My uncles and aunts would come home with big bags of chocolate from the chocolate shop. Always the slightly misshapen bars that didn’t make the final cut. A bar of Dairy Milk will take me right back there.
5. Do you have a favourite way to drink Mother Root?
I love it with soda and plenty of ice.
6. What small pleasures do you prioritise on a daily or weekly basis?
I try and take joy in food wherever I can: the spritz of an orange as I peel it, the scent of curry leaves in hot oil.
7. Do you have a favourite item of dinnerware or tableware?
I really love ceramics and have an ever-growing collection from Pip Hartle, Skandihus, Rebecca Proctor and Jono Smart.
Useful information
If you aren’t familiar with Anna’s cooking, feast your eyes on her book One. It’s full of brilliantly tasty, seasonal recipes to make you feel good about every meal and being kinder to the planet.
Give her a follow @we_are_food, and visit her website. Her newsletter is definitely worth signing up to.