Meet Louisa, our Kitchen Apprentice

Over the next few months, Louisa will be mastering the fundamentals of fresh ingredients and seasonal cooking — and sharing it all with you (starting with everything you need to know about beets). We sat down for a rapid-fire Q&A to get to know her better, chatting about everything from her current cooking style, to her favourite breakfast dish and culinary heroes. Read on, and get to know our new kitchen apprentice!

Describe your cooking style. Simple, fresh and flavourful.

What’s the first dish you remember cooking by yourself? Crispy chicken tenders. They had cornflakes on them, it was a recipe from the Betty Crocker Kids’ Cookbook. I think I was about 7 or 8 years old.

What’s the one food/dish that you’re never tired of? Eggs, especially poached.

Is there anything you just won’t eat? Why? French onion soup. Sorry! It’s slimy!

What did you have for dinner last night? I made a vegetable soup. I put pesto in the bottom of the bowl which was so good.

What’s your favourite breakfast? My dad makes a great bacon and egg sandwich. Avocado would be good on it too.

Coffee or tea? Coffee.

Who are your culinary heroes? I love Ina Garten, but really my mom is my food hero. She always cooked dinner for us from scratch.

What’s your favourite ingredient to cook with? Butter.

After a long day of cooking for work, what do you do for dinner? I cook! I really love soup for dinner.

If you could eat at any restaurant in the world with anyone (alive or dead) where and who would you choose? I would have dinner with my great-great grandmother Emily at the Inn where she grew up in the south of England. It's under different ownership, but it still exists today! She cooked elaborate full meals for her family until she died in her 80s.

What’s the first album you bought? Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time. But it was for my sister.

Louisa will be writing a weekly blog, sharing what she's learned in the kitchen. Read it here.