‘There’s nothing like the smell of baking’
Clodagh Mckenna is a chef, presenter and author. She shares a house with her partner Harry Herbert in the grounds of Highclere in Hampshire.
‘It’s amazing the things you learn around the kitchen table during childhood that become ingrained and part of you – the rituals and routines that mean “home”. We always had a big bake on a Saturday when I was growing up in County Cork, Ireland. My two sisters and I would help my mum make everything from soda bread to cinnamon rock buns, and the baking smell would fill the house. In my own home, I make rosemary soda bread when friends visit – I put it in the middle of the table and there’s something about breaking it together that I think is a lovely, welcoming thing to do.
I also remember blackberry picking and my mum making pots of jam. It’s a tradition I’ve kept up – there’s nothing I love more than foraging – and I still do that with her, either here or when I visit Ireland. When my nephews and nieces come to stay, we’ll go foraging together too, then make something with what we’ve picked. Good memories are very powerful; I think it’s so important to make them. Money can’t buy that sense of warmth and security.
As a chef, I have lots of kitchen equipment, but one of my most treasured possessions is my granny’s potato masher because it instantly makes me think of her. I’m such an Irish girl – I adore potatoes. If I need comfort food, I make a big bowl of mash with lots of butter, sea salt and mustard, which instantly makes me feel better!
My other essentials are my treasured Microplane, which is fantastic for zesting; my Victorinox chef’s knife, which I’ve had for decades and use every day; and my Le Creuset pots – I was given my first one aged 21 and they are simply the best. I’ve also discovered copper pots recently and I’m a bit obsessed with them, too. They hold the heat well, but they are also beautiful enough to be on the table.
I have two kitchens at home, which sounds fancier than it is! The main one is in the house, while my studio kitchen, where I develop recipes and which is used for filming and photography, is one of my favourite places. It was originally an old store room, but I’ve got it just as I want it: cosy and informal. It’s my haven.
A HELPING HAND
When lockdown happened, that little kitchen came into its own. A week in, I decided to do something that might help people, and started posting daily recipe videos on Instagram TV, with my partner Harry as cameraman.
I simply showed how to make dishes with ingredients you might have to hand, but the response was phenomenal.
The videos became the highlight of my day and gave me a real sense of purpose. If nothing else, it made me get up early every day and make myself presentable.
A real sense of community developed. I started a kitchen garden (I’d never planted fruit and vegetables before) and posted about the progress there, too. Soon I received so many messages with advice. It’s helped me learn so much about growing from other gardeners and brought some real positives at a difficult time.’
• Clodagh’s Weeknight Kitchen (Kyle Books) by Clodagh Mckenna is out on 29 October. Clodagh is on Instagram at @Clodagh_mckenna
What makes a perfect kitchen is a full fridge of good things and something homemade on the counter