This week M+K sits across the table with Tessa Clarke, the Co-Founder and CEO of OLIO, a free app tackling food waste. She talks with us about cooking, creativity and her passion for sustainability.
1. My cooking inspiration…
My children who are 5 and 7. Prior to having kids, I was rarely seen in the kitchen – in fact, I was so bad I managed to hospitalise myself when hosting a dinner party once! Since becoming a mother though, I’ve become much more aware of what we’re eating, and in particular all the chemicals in our food. Also, since founding OLIO I’ve been on a journey to lead a zero-waste lifestyle, and so those two things combined mean I now spend a lot of my time on the weekends batch cooking. I find it surprisingly enjoyable as it’s a great way to unwind and know that I’m doing something good for my family and the planet, plus I tend to multi-task and listen to podcasts too, which I absolutely love.
2. A meal that reminds me of home…
A classic Sunday roast, or English fried breakfast. My parents are farmers and so these were very much staples during my childhood in north Yorkshire.
3. A life lesson cooking has taught me…
To not be afraid to experiment. I invariably find myself missing one or more ingredients, and so from that point onwards, I tend to ‘freestyle’ the recipe. And – much to my amazement – more often than not it turns out great. Being comfortable with experimentation means less stress and I’ve also discovered some fab twists to classic recipes, which I would otherwise never have discovered.
4. When I want to be creative I…
Go for a run and listen to a podcast. I find that running whilst listening to stories from others really gets my creative juices going – I often have to stop and send myself a note of all the great ideas I’ve had.
5. The most transformational book I’ve read is…
Probably The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. It’s really informed how we’ve approached everything in launching and growing OLIO to where we are today.
6. The routines that keep me grounded are…
Exercise and a good night’s sleep. Not exciting, but highly effective, so I guard them carefully!
7. I recently learnt…
Reducing food waste is the #1 most powerful solution to the climate crisis! And that it comes above solar power, electric cars and even plant-based diets. I was so surprised I wrote a blog post about it.
8. Favourite random act of kindness…
I’m not sure if this counts as a random act of kindness, but I regularly pick up litter in my local community, as it’s a small way to make a difference. I’m inspired almost every day though, by stories of random acts of kindness that are shared in the Forum section of the OLIO app, where it’s not unusual to see OLIOers giving each other small gifts of thanks, or going out of their way to support one another during this challenging time.
9. To make a difference in my community I…
Have been taking part in OLIO’s #Cook4Kids campaign. As a result of the school closures, 1.3 million school children who used to receive free school meals are at risk of hunger, and so along with the OLIO community, I’ve been cooking extra portions of food and sharing them via the app with local families. It’s a really easy way to make a difference to your local community and we’ve had over 15,000 meals given away so far.
10. Right now, I’m grateful for…
My health, my work and the fact that I have enough food to put on the table. It’s heartbreaking to realise how many people are suffering during COVID-19. I’m hopeful though that we will take the opportunity of this collective pause to re-build our future in a way that’s fairer and more sustainable for all.
Tessa Clarke is the Co-Founder & CEO of OLIO. OLIO is a free app tackling the enormous problem of food waste – and waste more broadly – in the home. It does this by connecting people who have food & other household items that they don’t want or need, with their neighbours living nearby who would like them. In just over 4 years OLIO has grown from a local initiative in North London to a global movement with over 2 million users in 50+ countries, who have together shared over 5 million portions of food. Tessa is passionate about the sharing economy as a solution for a sustainable world, and about ‘profit with purpose’ as the next business paradigm. She firmly believes that diversity is key to unlocking the future we all want.
To connect visit:
https://olioex.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tecook/
https://twitter.com/TessaLFClarke
