Tell us about your favourite food memory from your childhood…

For most of my childhood, every summer, myself and my three siblings would spend a week with our grandparents in North Yorkshire. This annual trip was filled with the outdoors, trips to Brimham rocks, assault courses built by my grandad in the garden, and most notably, a picnic at Jervaulx Abbey. This picnic happened every year, rain or shine, sometimes in glorious weather, playing badminton and laying on the grass, and other years sitting in the back of my grandparents car to the sound of thunderous rain. But the point is, the picnic was immovable. Having spoken to my siblings, we all remember the picnic highlights slightly differently, for me it was the ham sandwiches on pillow soft white sliced bread, with salted butter and strong English mustard, for my sisters it was grandma's celery and cheese sandwiches and my brother says it was probably the Seabrook's crisps. I still adore picnics, and I treasure those memories of helping Grandma make them, wrapping the food in clean tea towels and into wicker baskets for the car.

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?

I would honestly encourage everyone to go back to childhood, think about the foods you loved as a child, what it was about them that were so special, and start by recreating those flavours and textures. You’ll soon learn how you like to cook, whether it’s by following a recipe to the letter or going on more of a feeling, following an ingredient to it’s most delicious conclusion. I strongly believe everyone has a way into cooking that is the hook for them, and once you have found that, you are off. It doesn’t look the same for everyone, so work out what it is for you that gets you going and explore from there.

How does cooking work in your communal living space?

I live communally with six other people and we each put £25 a week into a ‘kitty’. This budget of £175 pays for all the food for everyone for the week. One person is in charge of doing a weekly online shop, they always get the basics and then we request anything specific we would like for that week. The order usually arrives on a Sunday and then we take it in turn to cook, one person each night of the week. In the morning, whoever is cooking will message the group and ask who is in for dinner, so that they know how many to cook for. If you are out, but would like some food when you get home, then you ask for a ‘late plate’ and a plate will be saved for you. As with anything, there are exceptions to the rule, sometimes we are all busy and don’t eat dinner together. Sometimes we have friends round for dinner and you can often find 12 people round the table on a random Wednesday night. I absolutely adore living this way, not only do you have a delicious meal to come home to, but you only need to cook once that week so I find that everyone puts in a bit more effort and that results in a full week of nourishing, exciting dinners.

Tell us about one of your cooking rituals at home…

I have always been a keen baker, since I was a very small girl I baked with my mum and my Grandma, mostly simple recipes from the Bero Book, like scones and Victoria sponge. Now, as an adult, whenever I get some time to myself, this strangely seems to line up with there being a glut of overripe browning bananas in the house. And when this happens, I like to make a banana bread. I know that sounds basic, twee and cliched after all the banana bread discourse of the last few years. For me, it’s inherently linked to pleasure, I’m a big people pleaser, huge, and this banana bread has been in development for years. It’s reached a point where I can knock out two large loaves in under an hour, it’s vegan, so everyone can eat it, and it absolutely slaps. It’s the process of making it, baking it, messaging the house chat to say “Banana bread in the kitchen”, housemates slowly trickling downstairs and finally feeding it to them, lightly toasted, buttered and sprinkled with sea salt. It’s completely delicious, and I love to eat a slice for breakfast the next day with a cup of bitter black coffee, but the real joy is feeding it to others, and witnessing the happiness it brings to them too.

What’s your favourite thing about having friends and family round for dinner?

That part when your guests are just starting to arrive and they sit down at the table, you light the candles, crack a beer, pour them a drink and begin to catch up. That ultimate multitask of stirring a pot, slicing some bread, grating the cheese, while catching up with your mates, is the height of luxury to me.

Tell us about one of the most memorable meals someone important in your life has cooked for you...

I feel very lucky to have so many brilliant cooks amongst my friends and family, so, many meals come to mind, but by a country mile, the first meal my boyfriend cooked for me, is the most memorable. He was terrified, pale as a sheet, could barely string a sentence together. People tend to be very nervous to cook for chefs, which I understand, but what you should know is, we’re all just so bloody grateful that someone has offered to make us a meal, and it's a genuine treat. So he was there in the kitchen, nervous, unable to hold a conversation with me, so much so that he asked me to leave the room so he could concentrate. He made a very simple, perfectly delicious bowl of pasta pomodoro, with a walnut and rocket salad and a glass of good red wine. It wasn’t fancy or dramatic or particularly decadent, but it was made with the most extraordinary amount of love, care and attention, and he got me, hook, line and sinker.

QUICK FIRE 

Taste that most makes you think of home:

Early grey tea.

Favourite song to cook to:

Aretha Franklin - Say A Little Prayer

When you're feeling low, what do you cook for comfort:

Pasta, always and forever, pasta. Probably a version of aglio e olio, except I add a lot of lemon and parmesan to mine, maybe a handful of capers as well.

You have friends coming round for an impromptu dinner, what do you cook?

This would always depend on what is in the house, we generally have a good stock of dried goods; rice, pasta and tinned beans. So either a pasta, a curry or a stew - something to feed a big crowd!

Your most proud career moment to date:

Launching our seasonal Supper Club with my housemate Virginia Malavasi, at our home in East London.

Best place for a cosy dinner in your local area:

Campania & Jones or Cafe Cecilia.

Favourite autumn dish:

Ravioli di zucca con Burro e Salvia (Squash ravioli with sage butter)

The ingredient you’re most looking forward to incorporating into your dishes this season:

As we are moving into Autumn I can’t wait for squash to return, and then I’ll be making ravioli with it!

Follow Rosie on Instagram: @rosiekellett

Photos by Benedikte Klüver