Ready Steady Cook
Anna Haugh tells us why this time of year gets her so egg-cited
EASTER MON-FRI / BBC1
Over 65 years, TV Times has built an unassailable reputation for celebrating both familiar favourites and the new and exciting, so chef Anna Haugh’s Chocolate Guinness Easter Cake is very much what we are all about. For more on Anna’s delicious innovations,
Spending Easter weekend in the kitchen might be eggshausting for some, but there’s nowhere else that popular Irish chef Anna Haugh would rather be.
‘I adore cooking at Easter! It feels special like Christmas, yet doesn’t seem to have the same pressures or stress,’ explains Anna, 40, who also has a busy week ahead with appearances on Morning Live plus Ready Steady Cook, hosted by Rylan Clark-neal, which finishes its current run on Friday.
‘I’m actually thinking of an Easter treat to make Rylan,’ smiles Anna, who worked with Gordon Ramsay before opening her own London restaurant, Myrtle, in 2019.
‘Chocolate Guinness doughnuts, dipped in a special vanilla glaze – he’d love that! He’s got what I call a naughty tooth. He likes sweets, pizzas, deep-fried nuggets – all proper naughty stuff!’
Here, in an egg-clusive interview with TV Times, Anna shares her Easter traditions and recipe twists...
What does Easter mean to you?
Food and family. I have such lovely memories of Easter growing up in Ireland. My mother, Wendy, was pretty strict and made my two sisters, brother and I give up sweet things for Lent, but Easter morning we were allowed to eat chocolate with abandon! All our aunts, uncles and parents’ friends brought us Easter eggs, so I’d have 20 lined up!
Any family traditions?
Along with the eggs, we’d spend Easter Day going around to people’s houses – everyone in their Sunday best, heels too. It was a big deal, like Christmas but without the presents and pressure.
Who was the cook in your family?
My mum – she’s naturally gifted and brilliant with flavours. My dad, Joe, loves cooking with a passion but he’s rubbish! Mummy always baked hot cross buns at Easter – she still does – and we always had a fish starter and roast lamb dinner.
Did she inspire you to be a chef?
She taught us all to cook well, but it was actually a friend’s mum who sowed the seed. She said, ‘Anna, you change when you’re in the kitchen. You come to life, you sparkle’.
What do you cook at Easter?
I start with Irish Goatsbridge smoked trout, on simple potato crackers, followed by roast lamb pierced with garlic and rosemary, and a fresh mint purée made with lemon and capers. Plus potato croquettes, mash, roasties – a lot of potatoes, I’m Irish! And Yorkshire puddings because my boyfriend’s English and always wants them! I finish with my mum’s crazy cheesecake, and a lovely Irish Storm cocktail of whisky, ginger beer and orange zest which always gets me talking!
Is there an Easter recipe you can share with TV Times readers?
Yes – a bread and butter pudding with a twist; it’s made from hot cross buns [see recipe, below]. You can make your own buns or use shop-bought ones. And it’s dead easy, so perfect for getting the kids involved. In fact, sticking your fingers in this sort of pudding actually helps!
Any tips for making hot cross buns?
Don’t make the mistake of using old yeast in the cupboard – it doesn’t keep forever and the buns won’t rise. I’ve made that mistake. Also, don’t have your mixture too dry. It might look a bit ugly having it wetter, but ultimately it’ll make your buns lighter and taste better.
And any other suggestions for an eggs-tra special treat this Easter?
How about a chocolate Guinness cake for an Irish twist? Beers, ales and stouts have been in Ireland since the mid-18th century – we use them in casseroles and pies so why not cake? My boyfriend adores this cake [see recipe, right]. He’s spoilt!
How did you feel when TV came calling – was it on your radar?
Absolutely not. Years ago, I was asked to go on an Irish TV show but there were less female chefs around and I was worried I wouldn’t be taken seriously so I went to London instead, to learn my craft.
Then I was asked to do Royal Recipes with Michael Buerk, then
Saturday Kitchen and a year ago was asked to be on Ready Steady
Cook. I used to watch it after school and think the chefs were magicians. If you’d have told young Anna, ‘You’ll be on that show’, I’d never have believed it. I even used to daydream what I’d want in my ingredients bag!