Q&A WITH ANGELA MERRIE- PRETTY DAMN GOOD FOR YOU

1. Have you always loved cooking ?

Yeah I really have.  It started out with Mum teaching us to bake when we were little.  If we wanted something yummy in our lunch boxes, we had to learn how to make it.  Then as soon as I hit my late teens/early twenties I was absorbing cookbooks and cooking whenever I got the chance.  I absolutely love it.

  2. All of your images look stunning, is there a trick you can share with us on how you manage to present them so nicely? 

I try to keep my images as simple as possible.  Colour is important though.  Sometimes thats how I write recipes.  I think about what I’m wanting to make and then I dream up the image I want to create.  While Im making it if I see the image in my head, sometimes that dictates the direction the recipe will go in.  For example, maybe the crisp white from a finely sliced macadamia would look better than the caramel brown from a walnut.  So simple, but it can make all the difference.  I have a degree in Fine Art so I’m always thinking in colour and images!

 3. Can you share with us your favourite recipe/ image ? 

It's really hard to pick just one, but this Roast Peach and Nectarine Galette is a really fresh, lovely recipe that makes the most of the beautiful stone fruit that is around at the moment. The combination of the sweet fruit, the creamyness of the avocado, and the salty, nutty flavours of the galette are so good! See below for recipe



4. What's your favourite type of cuisine to cook with ?

My favourite cuisine is usually dictated by the seasons. In summer I love fresh Asian inspired salads, lots of julienned vegetables, kelp noodles, chilli and lime juice.  But as the weather cools I love slow cooked curry’s indian, moroccan, middle eastern.  Lots of fragrant spices and fresh herbs.

 

5. Do you follow any particular diet/ lifestyle ?

I gave up gluten over 20 years ago, and have been avoiding sugar for 5 or 6 years now. But I recently adopted a plant based diet.  Animal agriculture is the number 1 cause of global warming, not many people know this but I decided that I couldn’t sit back and ignore it any longer. So now I try and inspire people to have three or more plant based, main meals a week.  I have an App launching in September that will have all my new recipes on it, so stay tuned! It's super exciting.

 

6. What are three words you live by ?

 Eat well, exercise often. Sorry thats four, but its my M.O and it works :)