Ever wondered what our founder and director Sarah Wilson gets up to in her kitchen? Well, you’re going to love this!
Speaking with The Guardian for their Kitchen Encounters segment, Sarah revealed all her foodie faves, tips and tricks…
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My kitchen is … mostly borrowed. I travel five months of the year for work, so a lot of my cooking happens in random Airbnbs around the world. At home, I have a simple, pared-back kitchen, but it’s still the focal point of my apartment. It’s one long bench with everything happening underneath: a bar fridge and freezer, and an induction stove. I live in the city, so my kitchen is also my garden: I regrow my green onions, celery and coriander in pots of soil, lined up on the bench. The whole thing has a relaxed, lo-fi vibe – I’ve been known to sit on the floor to cook …
My favourite kitchen tool is … my slow cooker. It uses less electricity than a light bulb and is perfect for cooking secondary cuts of meat and “daggy” (unfashionable) vegetables, such as swede and carrots. Dump in your ingredients, press play and dinner is ready eight hours later.
My storecupboard staple is … turmeric powder. I have an autoimmune disease (Hashimoto’s) and when it flares up, a teaspoon of this stuff is wonderfully healing. I make golden milk a lot – hot milk (normal or coconut) with 1 tsp each of turmeric and cinnamon, and a little salt. I also add turmeric to coffee, stews and soups.
When I’m starving I … eat a proper meal – meat, veg and a good dollop of fat (olive oil or butter). Snacking mucks with our appetites. I always have leftover meals in the freezer: soups or stews, which I keep in zip-lock bags (that I always wash and reuse), which I defrost and heat in a saucepan, adding some flour or chia seeds to thicken if need be. Often, I’ll pour in an egg or two, as well.
My culinary inspiration is … US journalist and food writer Michael Pollan. We share a similar philosophy – if you want to be well, learn to cook. His book Cooked is a multi-dimensional delight. It advocates things such as fermenting and sourdoughs and pulled pork, which are trendy now, but he explains their benefits from an ethical, nutritional and sustainable point of view.
My best-kept kitchen secret is … to become friends with your freezer. The things it can do for preventing food waste and saving time! Par-cook your veggies as soon as you buy them, in bulk, to about 60% done, then freeze and use as required in stews or simply steamed. Keep several resealable “stock bags” into which you can dump carrot ends, celery leaves, broccoli stalks, onion bits and chicken or beef bones. Once full, add to a big pot and cover with water to make stock, throwing in a few bay leaves. Simmer for a day or so. Freeze nuts and nut flours to stop them going rancid.
When I’m invited to dinner I always take … the ingredients to make my chocolate raspberry ripe. I make it there, combining coconut oil, cacao, berries, coconut and a little rice malt syrup and pouring onto wax-paper lined plate and popping in the freezer. It sets into a “bark” in 15 minutes. I plonk on the table and guests can snap off shards at will. Sometimes I add edible flowers and other “spectaculars” for extra talking fodder.
Everything tastes better with … frozen peas. They add instant sweetness and a lovely sprinkle of colour to a lot of meals. I cook in “layers”, adding bits where I see a gap. If a meal needs more bulk or visual excitement, a handful of peas at the end can save it.
This article was originally published on The Guardian.
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