The TV cook has packed a lot into her first 40 years. Here, she talks about childhood, forgiveness and how life is fine!
Lorraine Pascale walks into a canalside cafe in north London looking as if she has just come back from holiday or is about to leave: flip-flops, tangled hair, peachy shirt, minuscule denim shorts, sunglasses and orange earrings that stand out like orange peel in one of her recipes: zesty. And she is so tall reminding one of the model she once was. Even casually dressed, she makes an impression with her dramatic presence, her gap-toothed smile. She is munching on a Marks & Spencer wrap: pomegranate, garlic and cumin. I usually cook my own breakfast, but not today. Theyve improved, M&S For most of the last decade, she has been doing more than make breakfast. In January 2011 she broadcast her first BBC television series Baking Made Easy. She was an instant hit with her easy, streetwise perfectionism and virtuoso cake-making. Two further series followed and after a shelfs worth of delectably diversified bestsellers, she hasnt looked back.
It is interesting to catch her in an off-duty moment because her professional appearance is immaculate. In her latest book, How To Be a Better Cook, you leaf past shots of white sangria, flavoured ice cubes and Irish coffee with a Chantilly cream topping to pictures of Pascale looking radiant, pristine, happy. She wears her signature plain tops: snowy white, primrose yellow, palest pink with not an apron in sight not a smear, stain or wayward garnish blemishing her. Even Pascales Eton mess is neat-and-tidy Eton mess. Appearances are really important, she says, I like things to look tidy on the plate. In her introduction, she advises: The first thing you need to learn is my mantra. Its all fine! Thats the secret weapon. Its all in your attitude. If you can relax and just take it easy, youll be fine.
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