Maria Gill

The award-winning children’s writer has discovered the convenience of a food-delivery service. So, even while Gill is helping with Barfoot & Thompson’s annual children’s book and is busy writing her own books, meals can be produced with minimal planning and preparation.

Do your eating habits change when you’re writing?

I tend to forget about eating until my grumbling stomach won’t let me ignore it any more. I’ll eat leftover food in the fridge or anything that I can whip up quickly. Sometimes I’ll just eat crackers and cheese, then compensate at dinner time. Describe your diet and lifestyle. I’m a My Food Bag convert. I used to not think about what I was going to cook until 6pm, then I would find nothing was defrosted and I didn’t have half the ingredients I needed. My Food Bag has removed all that stress and we have a more varied diet. I also try to walk or cycle each day, so I’m not sitting at my desk non-stop.

Is healthy eating a priority? I like to eat organic or spray-free food and as many vegetables as possible.

What’s your typical breakfast? Today’s was vanilla yogurt and Omaha strawberries.

And lunch? A greek salad.

Who cooks your evening meal and what do you usually eat? I generally cook, although my husband and daughter take a turn each week. My son cooks sometimes when he’s home. He’s been working on a lobster boat and left a crayfish and cod in our freezer – that was a nice surprise. My Food Bag menus are varied, so we eat fish, chicken, lamb, beef or pork, and vegetarian. We don’t tend to eat dessert unless someone has bought some Charlies Gelato, which is hard to resist.

Are you a snacker? Sometimes, instead of lunch, I’ll eat a packet of rice or oat crackers, with or without cheese.

Do you have a favourite childhood food memory? On my 16th birthday, I was allowed to pick 10 flavours of ice cream. My mother scooped out the insides of five pineapples, made fruit salad and returned that and two scoops of ice cream into the pineapples for our whole family to enjoy. We were living in a caravan travelling in Queensland at the time, and it was a real treat.