32 Caravan of love

The kitchen is the heart of the home and essential to our wellbeing. For Laura Harper Hinton, co-founder of healthy restaurant and coffee roastery Caravan, hers is a place to relax

CARAVAN OF LOVE

Walk the streets of Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell, London and you’ll likely smell the fresh coffee and hear the chatter coming from award-winning restaurant Caravan, which Laura Harper Hinton founded with her partner Chris Ammerman (left) and fellow New Zealander Miles Kirby in 2010. The laid-back vibe of the place (there are now two further branches at Granary Square, King’s Cross and south of the River Thames at Bankside) is much like the feeling you get in Laura’s own kitchen, located in the couple’s Victorian property in London’s Kensal Rise. Also home to the couple’s two sons, Arlo (five) and Otis (three), this is where some of the ideas for the seasonal dishes in new cookbook Caravan: Dining All Day ( Vintage, £16.59) were first discussed. Here, Laura lets us in on the secrets of her relaxed style.

We entertain all the time. Whether it’s playdates, brunch with friends, lunches, dinners… I don’t think it’s an antipodean thing, but it probably has a lot to do with upbringing. It was always ‘everybody back to ours’ when I was growing up, and now that’s very much how I like to live. In our last kitchen, everything was on display. It was all very eclectic, but after having kids I decided it needed to be a bit neater. Minimalist isn’t the right word, but I wanted to be able to put things away rather than having stuff out on workbenches, things that little hands can get into. My kitchen’s a bit more pared back than I originally thought it would be, but I love its sense of calm. I’m always testing things at home. Miles, my business partner, is the main chef, but we come up with creative concepts together. I’m usually doing more random stuff like playing around with grains or edible flowers, which I’m obsessed with at the moment. This kitchen reflects the design of our restaurants. The key thing, which is just as important in your home, is that the space works well both day and night. We never use bossy colours that

dominate a room, and texture is key. Lighting is also superimportant. I’ve consciously avoided spotlights, for example, since I’m not a fan of the harsh light they emit. I’m fanatical about vintage chopping boards, which I collect like a magpie. Sunbury Antiques Market at Kempton Park Racecourse is great, and I love Clignancourt in Paris. I also travel a lot, so I find pieces along the way, be that in Bali, India or Sri Lanka. You gravitate towards things you love, and I can’t stop buying them, even though I clearly don’t need any more. My favourite thing in the kitchen is the pantry. It definitely had to be a decent size because I have so many ingredients. I was obsessed with finding a logical way to store everything, including mixers, food processors and blenders, as I’m not a fan of having them out on bench tops. It’s so organised now. Our dining table is made of 300-year-old timber with knots and a lovely patina (see previous page), whereas the cabinetry is cleaner and more modern. The walls are decorated with a clay plaster. Its warm tones make the space feel peaceful, even if there are toys tipped everywhere within 30 seconds of the boys coming in to the room! The worktop is made of a matt stone composite. I’ve got a real dislike of sheen. This has a beautiful smoothness – it makes me happy every time I run my hand over it.

Dining all day is the ethos behind our restaurants, so that became the name of our book (right). We’re a small plates restaurant, so it’s about combining dishes however you like. caravanrestaurants.co.uk