What's the best piece of advice about taste that's stuck with you?
Even though my parents would have loved me to go to university, they never really pushed me to do anything. They probably learnt pretty quickly that when they did, I wouldn’t listen anyway. Haha.
When I left school, Harry and I were both working in hospitality at this huge seafood restaurant. We were washing dishes and the angry chefs would throw these giant hot pots at us. When we got a break, we’d stand out the back and watch the rats running along the bank. We finished late, and sometimes we’d miss the last bus so Dad would have to come and pick us up.
I remember crying to him one night because I was so confused and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. The only thing he said was, “do what makes you happy.”
It’s simple advice, but I think it’s probably shaped my taste more than anything else. I’ve always tried to follow the things I genuinely like rather than what I think I’m supposed to like.
While you were living in New Zealand, you and Sophie Wolanski of Muck Floral used to famously sell your toast and cookies, alongside Sophie’s flowers in Grey Lynn, Auckland. Even back then, you were cooking in a way that no one else was, which felt quite nostalgic and homely. This same approach comes through in your food today. What is it about those kinds of recipes that you are drawn to?
Again, I’ve never really tried to do what other people are doing, and I think it worked because I genuinely loved it. I love simple food and I love food made with love. It just tastes better.
My love for this way of eating definitely started when I first visited Greece when I was 19. I was blown away by how simple the food was and how delicious it tasted. It made me realise that great food doesn’t have to be complicated. I think a great meal is as much about the people you’re eating with and how you feel as it is about what’s on the plate.
