WRITTEN BY LOUISE SANSOM
Welcome back to 30 Seconds With… where we delve into our little black book and ask our stars for their words of wisdom, designed to be digested in the time it takes to drink your espresso.
Despite authoring several best-selling books, penning one of The Guardian’s most loved columns for over a decade, and scooping awards at both the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards AND Guild of Food Writers Awards, Felicity Cloake remains refreshingly down-to-earth.
Blending her culinary expertise with a warm and welcoming narrative style, she reminds us that food is meant to be shared and enjoyed as much as it is celebrated.
In this edition of 30 Seconds With… Felicity shares her thoughts on the simple pleasure of good food, and its ability to connect us all, from celebrity chefs to street vendors and home cooks.
1. Where did your love for food come from?
“I have to be honest – it’s pure greed. I’ve always loved eating, and the more I learn about food, the greedier I am to find out more about the history, culture, science, and so on surrounding it as well. How could one fail to love something so simple that brings pleasure to so many?”
2. Has there been a particular development in food that interests you and why?
“Without wanting to sound a million years old, when I started out fifteen or so years ago, the emphasis was very much on celebrity chefs. Nowadays, largely thanks to the democratic nature of the internet, we’re able to hear, and learn from a near-infinite diversity of voices, all of whom have their own story to tell around food and food culture. As an incurably curious (nosy) person, I find this fascinating. There will always be a place for the hard-won expertise of starry chefs, but now that sits alongside that of home cooks, street vendors, and enthusiasts, and the food writing world is far richer for it.”
3. What are you working on at the moment?
“As well as my ongoing How to Make the Perfect… Guardian column (twelve years old and counting), I’m trying to decide where to go on my next cycling adventure following One More Croissant for the Road (France) and Red Sauce Brown Sauce (UK), so all suggestions are very welcome!”
BOOK: Red Sauce Brown Sauce: A British Breakfast Odyssey
“If there’s one thing that truly unites Britain, from Aberdeen to Aberystwyth, St Ives to St Pancras, it’s an obsession with breakfast…”
COLUMN: How to make the perfect…
The recipes we know and love, tried and tested to perfection
FOLLOW: @felicitycloake