In the Kitchen with… Gizzi Erskine

Chef, food writer and supper club supremo Gizzi Erskine tells us about her foodie preferences…

LOVES

EGGS

Eggs have been a superfood for centuries. They are so versatile and the perfect way to kick- start your day. I often have Turkish eggs [poached eggs, spices and yogurt] and crispy sourdough for breakfast – it’s the perfect go-to brunch recipe.

COOKING FROM SCRATCH

Cooking from scratch is the best way to get the most nutritional value out of our food – that way you know what’s in it! I absolutely love food, but I’m conscious that my weight does fluctuate, so I find that if I’m cooking from scratch I can include plenty of veg, use good fats and oils and make my dishes as colourful as possible.

CITRUS FRUITS

Citrus fruits are bursting with refreshing, summery flavours and work well in a range of dishes, just as they do in a classic gin and tonic. Grapefruit is the star of the show in the gin and grapefruit meringue pie recipe I’ve created for my upcoming supper club series with Tanqueray No. TEN gin. It’s still very much the lemon meringue pie we all know and love, but the sherbety mixture of grapefruit, gin and lemon adds a touch of grown up bitterness.

HATES

CUTTING CORNERS

When discussing recipes with my book editors, I often get told to include ‘quick cheats’. I hate cutting corners though – I love the process of cooking; making a proper, slow-cooked ragu sauce is absorbing and the perfect therapy for me.

FAD DIETS

You can tell from my books that I love to focus on healthy eating, but eating healthily doesn’t need to be boring. I always make sure my recipes are balanced and this is where the trend for fad diets is lacking. Many of the diets exclude certain foods and products we know are bad for us – such as alcohol and sugar – but also entire food groups, like dairy and gluten, or carbohydrates. Personally, I don’t think we are educated enough to exclude food groups completely – we need a better understanding of nutrition and should look at cutting our portion sizes and finding a balance instead.

MASS PRODUCED MEAT AND FISH

Very few foods are out of bounds for me but the thought of eating a sad, factory farmed animal is awful.

Gizzi is hosting a monthly supper club series with Tanqueray No.TEN at the Dalloway Terrace throughout May and June 2018. Tickets at feverup.com