This week M+K sits across the table with Emily Rhodes, Author and talks cooking, creativity and community.
1. My cooking inspiration…
My husband Nat is a wonderful cook – and very much the “head chef” of the family, as my five-year-old daughter often says. I’m often amazed at how he transforms the remnants of our weekly veg box and a few scraps in the fridge into a very inventive and delicious meal.
2. A meal that reminds me of home…
Not technically a whole meal, but creamed spinach and mixed berry crumble are two dishes that remind me of my mum more than anything. She’d always make too much of them, often for a Friday night dinner, and many teenage weekends were spent eating them cold out of the fridge, when back late from a night out, or feeling rather the worst-for-wear the next day.
3. A life lesson cooking has taught me…
It can be so incredibly boring to read and follow instructions (or complicated recipes) but it almost always pays off.
4. When I want to be creative I…
Make, beg or borrow the time to sit down and write something – even if it’s just a very long, chatty email.
5. The most transformational book I’ve read is…
This is a tough question, but I’ve just spent a very enjoyable time reminiscing about some special reading moments over the years … If I had to choose just one, I think I’d probably go for Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Whenever I pick it up to check something, or remind myself of a passage, I get instantly engrossed and don’t put it down again for over an hour…
6. The routines that keep me grounded are…
Having a bath every evening, with a book to hand and my phone out of the room.
7. I recently learnt…
That otters hold hands with each other when they are sleeping. I’ve been listening to podcasts while doing the night feeds for my newborn baby – and this lovely little fact came up in The High Low – it really made me smile.
8. Favourite random act of kindness…
A friend gave us a load of freezer meals, when we were going through an awful time – it was so helpful, simple and kind.
9. To make a difference in my community I…
Try to bring people together through a love of books. Books can be a wonderful common ground, providing lots to talk about for people who might, on the face of it, be very different from one another. Emily’s Walking Book Club meets monthly on Hampstead Heath – and over the years, hundreds of people have come together to walk and talk about books.
10. Right now, I’m grateful for…
A rare moment of peace: the older children are watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks, the baby is asleep and my husband is cooking a delicious pasta supper for us all.
Emily Rhodes writes about books, architecture and design for a range of publications, including the Financial Times Weekend, The Spectator and the Guardian. She also runs the ever-popular Emily’s Walking Book Club, which meets monthly to walk on Hampstead Heath while discussing a book. She lives in London with her husband and three young children.
To connect visit:
https://www.emilyrhodeswriter.com/
https://www.instagram.com/emilyrhodeswriter/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3kobtsdJnbMqc2knxuYGAA
