Tell us about your favourite food memory from your childhood…
Saturday night dinners made by my mum, when I was little, are treasured memories for me - there was always music on, something really delicious, lots of adults drinking red wine and everyone having a good time. My Mum, Claire Elliott has the incredible ability of turning what appears to be nothing in the fridge into a feast for everyone. She’s the one who taught me to cook and continues to be my inspiration for Elliott’s.
What would your advice be to someone who is new to cooking and is looking to put more love into the ritual of preparing food at home?
Keep things simple and relaxed by mastering a really delicious dish that has just three or four ingredients in rather than overwhelming yourself with lots of ingredients or complicated techniques. You could try something like the Tomato Butter Sugo from my book Tin Can Magic where you quickly simmer a tin of chopped tomatoes, garlic, chilli and butter for an amazing sauce to go on your favourite pasta. By keeping the sauce simple, you can invest in a good quality tin of tomatoes then customise with cheese, olives, capers, whatever you fancy...a good bottle of wine. Who doesn’t love pasta and wine?!
“My Sunday morning ritual: clear the kitchen table of all the paperwork and random debris that’s accumulated over the week then make a big pot of coffee and sage-fried eggs with lemony greens and toast for me and my husband, Philip.”