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Louise's interview



Interview by Laurence

We interviewed Louise!

Visit the blog: Cake and Calico.


See profile page and recipes

Discover Louise's favourite recipe: How to make the perfect strawberry and raspberry tart



Louise is the writer of Cake and Calico, "a fun, family-oriented, kitchen-centred blog, featuring do-able kitchen projects, recipes and ideas for anyone who likes home-cooked meals and comforting baking. We are based in Fife, Scotland and have some occasional Caledonian bias...!"



Hello Louise, so tell us...


When did you begin your blog and what inspired you to start it?


Cake and Calico is still quite a new blog on the block - we 'opened our doors' in February of 2013. I love to potter about in the kitchen and thought a blog would be a fun way to share my kitchen successes and disasters. There's also a lovely community of people out there who are so knowledgeable about food. It is great to feel a (small and humble) part of that!

In your wildest dreams, where is your blog going to take you as it develops?


I would love to be able to blog full time, though at the moment it is a fun hobby that mainly revolves around weekends and holidays. I'd love to become better at food photography too - some of the pictures bloggers put on their sites are such a high standard and so professional that I can only gaze and admire...

What is your favorite dish of all time?


Ooh. Tricky. I have so many! If it was a 'last meal ever' scenario, I might have to go for something simple and comforting like Macaroni Cheese. I know it isn't adventurous but it's sooooo satisfying. If it was an 'order anything you like at the fanciest hotel in the world' scenario, I'd probably go for crispy pan fried sea bass with fennel. Love sea bass.

Your photos are very nicely presented, in your opinion what makes a dish beautiful?


Well, it's very kind of you to say so! I just try to show my food off in a way that gives a sense of the colour, texture and design involved in making it. I usually go for close-ups and I'm not particularly adept at staging, but hopefully I give a clear sense of what the recipe is about and make the food look appetising. For me, beautiful food is fresh, colourful, texturally interesting and not messed about with too much.

Do you have a secret weapon in the kitchen?


Many. Actually, none that are all that secret. I'm particularly fond of my garlic crusher. Does that count?

What is your earliest memory involving food?


My grandmother was school cook at the village primary school where she lived back in the days when school cooks had some autonomy. When I was little, she used to take me in to the kitchen and let me have some mis-shapes of the sugared doughnuts she made for the children there. With raspberry custard.

Are there any chefs that you admire in particular?


I really like Nigel Slater's homely, unpretentious recipes. He has a very natural and I think quite experimental attitude to food.

If you could be a contestant or guest on any cooking show what show would you choose?


I'm not sure I'd enjoy being a contestant - too much pressure. I'd be very happy to be a guest on Saturday Kitchen so that I could try out all the amazing looking food they come up with every week though. And some of James Martin's baking too please...

Which Gourmandize recipe would you recommend? (if none take your fancy add your own and share it with us!)


There's a gorgeous-looking strawberry and raspberry tart that I'd love to try making sometime...

Any last words or message for our readers?


Food is fun!



Thank you Louise for answering our questions and see you soon!
Published by Laurence - 12/08/2013



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