On a beautiful spring-like day family and friends gathered on the Fremantle Arts Centre lawn, to help celebrity chef Anna Gare launch her first cookbook Homemade: simply delicious food. Interviewed by Nathan, Nat and Shaun from Nova 93.7, Anna explained the recipes had been tested by her family including husband Luke Longley (ex-Chicago Bulls), who she described as ‘as fantastic as he is tall, an incredible eater, and good at criticizing my food, when I ask for it’.
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If like me, you grew up in the pre-MasterChef era, you’d have many memories of tuna mornay, chicken casserole, mushrooms on toast, and lamb stew. Evidently they also formed the backdrop to Anna’s childhood, where she grew up ‘eating brown food.’ Thankfully Homemade is full of colour.
The 75 recipes that did make it into Homemade are ‘all totally edible’ according to Anna, and drawn from her Deluxe Catering business, along with….. ‘simple dishes straight from my family dinners, lunches and impromptu feasts with friends. While I cooked, friends and family took notes and this book started to take shape.’ Recipes such as…..
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Cheats Sausage Rolls;
the family Christmas cake;
a Pistachio Soup;
and
Never Fail Chocolate Cake
which was moist even after sitting in the sun throughout the interview.
Anna’s children make the chocolate cake and take it to school, but when asked for the recipe they say ‘you have to buy the book’.
The book has been described as ‘easy reading’, ‘not daunting long recipes’, and full of colour photos using ‘real light so it looks like real food’. It also has ‘a peak inside the family fridge’.
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‘For me, food has always been about much more than kitchens and recipes. It’s about homes, the people in them, the music, the paintings on the walls, the friends who drop by. All the things we share. That’s what Homemade is all about’ said Anna.
If you’re thinking about writing a cookbook there is one downside however. According to Anna, she hasn’t been invited to dinner for a long time…..‘I’d eat toast if it meant I was invited over’.
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As the crowd lined up for signing, the Rising Soufflé’s, (made up of Annas family members including the delightful young singers George Gare and Lottie Elton), sang two toe tapping food related songs.
Watching the long signing queue made me ponder on …
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Anna’s laid back approach reminded me of times past spent watching her in The Jam Tarts.
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Her success is another example of what happens when someone simply follows their passion. Anna spent her childhood in the family kitchen, asked if she could leave school early, then spent time working in kitchens while singing in her band.
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Wouldn’t it be fantastic to be at their place for Christmas dinner. I guess our family will have to make do with making the Christmas cake.
Hopefully this is the link to the short book launch video, if it doesn’t work and you want it, just contact me Anna Gare Book Launch video link
4 Comments
Sounds like a great event and I like her view on food. Great piece, well done.
yeah she has a really laid back attitude. Ta
Just met you and you signed the cover of an old (1989) Jam Tarts Nansing CD. You are a delight and we really enjoyed the concert today at the Fremantle Arts Centre. Faye.
Hi Faye. Just to be clear I am not Anna Gare but I’m sure she’d love to hear your comment so I hope you find a blog that is directly linked to her. I loved the Jam Tarts too. G