Anna Haugh shares her life in food, from her earliest memories to her favourite flavours and culinary inspirations.
Irish chef, restaurateur and broadcaster Anna Haugh is fast becoming a household name, having recently been announced as the new judge on MasterChef alongside food critic Grace Dent.
Anna began her career in her hometown of Dublin, working at the renowned restaurant L’Ecrivain before moving to London, working everywhere from Pied á Terre to within the Gordon Ramsay Group. Shortly after she opened her debut restaurant, Myrtle, followed by The Wee Sister wine bar, all inspired by historic Irish recipes, culture and storytelling, creating dishes that reflect contemporary technique while preserving the heartbeat of her home while in the UK.
Anna’s gone on to host Anna Haugh’s Big Irish Food Tour for the BBC, releases cookbooks both inspired by Irish food, and is now fronting one of the biggest TV shows on TV. Anna is a true champion of Irish food in the UK.
What are your earliest memories of food?
My earliest memory of food is as a young child in junior infants and I hated cheese. My mother tried to entice me to eat the cheese; she’d grate it when she would slice everyone else’s. I remember lying to the teacher one day, saying I didn’t have lunch today because when people did that, they’d have crisps and yoghurt, and I never had any of that fun stuff. My teacher asked to look in my bag. I said no. We wrestled and she got my bag, bearing in mind it was a convent school. The cheese sandwich flew out of my bag and on the ground and I was made to eat it. So that’s my first memory. But I love cheese now.
How would you describe your relationship with food?
I think I have a good relationship with food because I love vegetables, fish, the healthy and bad but I definitely eat for comfort and my love language is cooking for people. If I’m sad, I think I can eat the sadness away. So I guess I have a normal relationship with food. I love it but sometimes I should not use it as my crutch when I’m having a bad day.
What was the first meal you learned to cook?
I don’t think I remember the first one but I remember the meal I cooked the most. By age 12, I’d do the family roast for six people on my own. Cook everything, peel everything and my mother would come over just to check the meat was cooked. If I were to guess my first meal, maybe my mother’s signature cheesecake? It was a pineapple, lemon and lime cheesecake with fresh whipped cream on top and grated chocolate. It’s still a family thing. If it’s in the fridge, then no one can stop eating it.
How did working with food become your career?
It was always going to be my career, really. I went into a kitchen one day and I knew I wanted to do it, so I enrolled in a professional cookery course. Once I was on the cooking train, the rest was history.
What’s your go-to breakfast?
Just a black coffee! But if I’m hungry, I’ll have a bowl of pasta with olive oil, mixed seeds and grated parmesan.
If you’re impressing friends and family at a dinner party, what are you serving up?
I pick their brains, figure out what they’d love to eat and I’d make that! I know different friends like different things and to be honest, it’s very easy to impress people. You pull out a beef wellington and people weep. Though I’ve made a few duds in my time.
Who is your culinary inspiration?
My mother! And then every single chef I’ve ever worked for. I did my homework. I wanted to work in that kitchen. I learned from them. All of them still inspire me. I also have to say, Myrtle Allen – I’ve named my restaurant in London after her! Without Myrtle, Darina Allen and Rachel Allen, the culinary food scene in Ireland wouldn’t be the same.
What would your last meal on earth be?
My mother’s roast dinner but if I couldn’t have that, I think I’d have coddle. If you haven’t been raised with something, you sometimes don’t understand it but I was raised on that.
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Bread and butter! Toast and butter! My Achilles heel.
What’s the go-to quick meal you cook when you’re tired and hungry?
Burrata, anchovies, flat bread and olive oil.
What is one food or flavour you cannot stand?
Just those massive burgers you have to eat with a knife and fork. I want to eat a burger like I eat a sandwich. If I have to eat a burger with a bib on my lap, straight to jail.
Hangover cure?
Absolutely just salty rashers and sausage sandwiches, cup of coffee and orange juice then you’re laughing.
Sweet or savoury?
Savoury all the way!
Fine dining or pub grub?
Fine dining!
Favourite restaurant in Ireland?
Craft in Harold’s Cross. It’s the one I go to the most with my parents. The food’s delicious, seasonal, very homely, well-cooked, staff are lovely. Businesses like that are what really matter in hospitality. It’s not about the chain or who’s looking at who, it’s the place to go with the people you love and want to be around and every bite I’ve had there has been delicious.
Best coffee in Ireland?
Well when I’m in Ireland I stay at mam and dad’s house so when I wake up, mam normally has a coffee for me! But when we’re out, Scéal is really good coffee. Pastries and bread are amazing too!
What are your thoughts on the Irish foodie scene?
It’s brilliant and unique. Sometimes you have people who look to London to mirror that but truth is, Irish people can’t mirror other people because we have too much creative juices inside of us. So as a result we could do something that’s happening in London but it feels different. It’s authentically Irish, whatever it is. From the cafe culture – the food you get is great, not just a croissant and pre-packed sandwich made somewhere else, it’s all made on site. There’s a lot of passion in the Irish food scene and lots of small businesses that need to be protected.
What’s your favourite thing about cooking?
Seeing people’s reactions when they eat it. And the feeling when everything just goes right, you make something and it’s just delicious.
What does food — sitting down to a meal with friends, mindfully preparing a meal, nourishment, etc — mean to you?
For me there are very few things I get excited about in the way I do when dining out with family and friends. Going to the theatre, amazing; live music, I love it and you’re sharing those experiences together but when you’re eating, you’re looking in to the white of people’s eyes, laughing, sharing the last artichoke, sometimes there may be an argument but you sort it out because you’re all around the table. That’s what eating out is all about. It’s amazing.
Food for thought — What are some areas for improvement within the Irish food/restaurant/hospitality scene?
We could let loose a bit more and be more Irish in our approach to service. There’s a focus on the French traditional style of formal service. So keep all the order of service, but do it in the way us Irish people naturally are – we look into the whites of people’s eyes and take care of them.
Chef’s kiss — Tell us about one standout foodie experience you’ve had recently.
I’ve been to the Boxty House over the years a few times but I was there again recently. The meal I had was so party, so Irish, and to be in a touristy area like Temple Bar and get such brilliant food, I think that’s incredible. I’m delighted to see a business like that evolve. The cocktails were amazing and the fillet steak was cooked very nice. I loved the colcannon was delicious; a really good example of hearty Irish food served with a nice vibe.
Compliments to the chef — Now’s your chance to sing the praises of a talented chef, beloved restaurant or particularly talented foodie family member.
I have to mention my mother. When we were children I remember her introducing pasta to the house and my father was like ‘What is going on here? Where’s my meat? Where’s my potatoes?’ and my mother followed a recipe to do spaghetti bolognese. She’d never made it before, he’d never even heard of it, and that has to be commended. She took a chance. We wouldn’t have had huge amounts of money to take that gamble. I don’t think he ate the dinner but he loves pasta now. She can make a meal for six with nothing and there’s a lot to be commended for that. Now she’s gotten older, she’s become more adventurous. She’s excellent at following a recipe. She taught me how to buy fruit and veg, buy good bread. When you’re at the butchers counter, she’s taught me what to look out for. People go on courses for the things she taught me.
Secret ingredient — What, in your estimation, makes the perfect dining experience?
Good stocks. So whether you’re doing a vegetable stock, chicken stock, fish stock, what you put in is invisible to the eye but undeniable to the pallet. If you’re making a vegan risotto and use a tomato gazpacho consommé, it’s a lot of work but that’ll be an unforgettable risotto. Details that are invisible to the eye are crucial to the magic of the food and the time and effort that goes into those things that make the difference. If all else fails, put anchovies in there – there’s nothing they don’t go with.