Celebrity chef Annabel Karmel speaks on her passion, new deal with Costa Coffee

Celebrity cook book author Annabel Karmel, a Londoner, is a self-made millionaire who has built a career in cooking. She was a former musician who loved to play harp but stopped after her eldest daughter Natasha died of a viral infection when she was just 3 months old. “When my daughter died, three months after birth, I realized that I need to feed myself with healthy food, so that the next baby will be healthy and can live longer, that’s where it all began,” she recalled.

She’s best described by many of her followers as a brilliant author. Even in a small country like Kuwait, she has legions of followers and sold about four million copies from her recent book she authored. According to Annabel, everyone deserves better food to feed their family members. “There are many books that can be followed and read to provide the best recipes for their families,” she said.

Indeed her fame as a celebrity cook did not pass without recognition. In fact, she started several collaborative works with several brands including Marks and Spencer. The recent agreement was signed between Annabel Karmel and Costa Coffee in Kuwait last year. Thanks to the collaborative work she did with Phil Broad, Costa Coffee Vice PresidentFood & Beverage (by Al-Ghanim Industries) who gave her the chance to work collaboratively with Costa Coffee.

Leaving a legacy

“I met Phil Broad at Intercontinental Hotel and he insisted on healthy food for Costa Coffee. I signed an agreement with them to provide the best recipes for Costa. I specialize in kid menus as I find giving healthy food to children is very important,” she noted. In Costa, she developed recipes for children without sugar. “In my recipes I use pureed oats, pureed dates and coconuts. With a combination like this no sugar is needed and yet it tastes sweet. Many more recipes are added so as to serve the nutritious food that everyone loves and deserves,” she said.

“I want to leave a legacy that can be used and followed by many even if I am gone forever from this world,” she said. Annabel admitted about her obsession for recipes for children because more than anyone else, children need healthy nutrients as they grow. “My eldest died when she was three months old, and I believe it won’t happen if a child is fed with healthy nutrients. So, my inspiration to sharing my cook books can be traced back at that sad moment,” she said. Now, Annabel has three children. “Until I am alive I will cook and contribute to the healthy and quality lifestyle of people,” she said.

“I think Kuwaitis love to eat. It doesn’t matter, everyone needs it, but it has to be healthy. I like Arab food. I also noticed that at the restaurants here they serve really good food. But for parents, I think, they should tell their children which one is best and be able to say no to kids when giving food. I have heard that obesity is one of the biggest problems here. That is why I want to share a different menu which is healthier,” she noted.

With a career spanning to 25 years, Annabel, has pioneered the way families all over the world feed their babies. She has become UK’s No 1 children’s cookery author, bestselling international author, and the mother of all feeding experts with 43 cookbooks and counting.

Anouf, a fan from Kuwait described her as a brilliant author who inspired many through her TV shows appearing in Fatafeat. “I follow her on social media. I like her smile, she lifts our spirit with that big smile. I wasn’t a good cook until I got her book from London. I used to watch her shows on TV, she has inspired me to become a good mom to my kids by cooking best recipes that she shares through her books,” Anouf told Kuwait Times.

Necessary for Kuwaiti society

With the sole mission of raising the standards of children’s diets, Annabel is a regular media commentator on food related issues and regularly undertakes consultancy work for major nursery chains, leisure resorts, restaurants and hotels worldwide. In 2006, Annabel received an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honors for her outstanding work in the field of child nutrition, and she has since become recognized as one of the UK’s leading female entrepreneurs.

Phil Broad believed his collaborative work with Annabel Karmel is necessary since Kuwaiti society is a family oriented society. “It means that whenever they go, they go with their children. Costa Coffee as you may have noticed is frequented not just by grownups but also by kids, so we need to create recipes that cater to children. That is how Annabel Karmel’s name surfaced. We need to make sure that we offer the excellent food for kids, said Phil Broad.

“So there is no other name that can be trusted with children’s recipes but Annabel Karmel, she has the best cookery book for kids, she had sold millions of copies of her books. We have the best of children’s recipes. Costa Coffee wants the best of everyone. We also make our Costa Shake for kids from fresh milk. We now have the Halloween bath choco, the pasta chicken salads, we also have apple and dates muffin; those are the best that can be taken even as school food for children. They are all healthy food crafted by our master chef Annabel Karmel,” he noted.

Pioneered the way families feed their babies