Celebrity Health – Anna Haugh

Photography © Laura Edwards

Born and bred in Dublin, TV chef Anna Haugh was taught to cook at a young age by her mother. After completing her professional training at TU Dublin School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology, Anna began her career with Derry Clarke at his restaurant L’Ecrivain. In 2019, she founded Myrtle Restaurant in London, named after the pioneering Irish chef Myrtle Allen, who was the first woman to win a Michelin star. Anna’s debut cookbook, Cooking with Anna: Modern Home Cooking with Irish Heart, is out now.

Hello Anna! In your new book you describe your childhood growing up in Dublin, being taught to cook by your mother and going to the market to buy fresh ingredients with your dad. Has cooking been a lifelong passion for you?

I’ve always felt that if I hadn’t become a chef, I would have found myself drawn to it as a hobby. Cooking is like a vocation for me, genuinely. And the older I get, the more convinced I am that cooking chose me, rather than the other way around. When I was a kid, going to the shop was like a life lesson. My mum taught us how to choose milk by checking the date, how to pick bread, and even how to select cheese. Before I understood how to cook, she taught me about good quality produce. My mother came from a working class, limited-income family. Her father passed away when she was young and you had to buy the best that you could in the best condition. Nothing was ever wasted. She instilled that respect for food in me. She was like my first head chef.

Your dad also had a role in shaping your connection with food, didn’t he?

Yes, my dad used to take us to street markets to buy all the raw ingredients. That stems from the fact that my grandmother had a shop and my father used to go to the markets with her. When my grandmother gave up the shop, my father still enjoyed going back to the market. We would buy our bags of potatoes and our crates of pears and apples. It’s just one of those things that, as a kid, you take for granted, but now I cherish that memory.

With your busy lifestyle, how do you manage to stay healthy and energised?

I try to walk to work every day, and if I can, I walk home too – though in winter, that’s harder for safety reasons, especially as a woman. But I walk for at least half an hour a day. My default is fresh vegetables and good quality meats. I don’t really crave “bad” foods, so I’d say I have a relatively good diet. But if I’m honest, I eat healthiest when I’m with other people. When I’m alone, I’m less likely to make an effort. Cooking for others – like my son – keeps me motivated.

A lot of people say they don’t have time to cook from scratch these days. What advice would you give to someone who feels too busy to cook?

It’s so hard to find the time to cook from scratch, and people blame themselves. That really upsets me, because it’s not their fault. We are distracted much more by things that are out of our control; we are on our phones more than we ever were. The best things you can keep in your kitchen are some bags or tins of lentils and beans, a bag of rice, some good quality pasta and good quality olive oil. You don’t need lots of complicated things in your cupboards, but you do need the backbone of a meal. Carrots are one of those ingredients that I think we always overlook. They’re delicious raw with a pinch of salt and a little splash of lemon juice. When we cook them, they go well with everything. The magic of cooking is in balancing the flavours. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to be something that excites you. Be kind to yourself, experiment, and enjoy the process.

Would you say that cooking can be an act of self-care?

Absolutely! It can be tempting to get a takeaway or a ready meal if you’re tired, but when food has been mass-produced by some machines somewhere, no love has gone into the food. It’s love that we need as an ingredient.

Here’s an example. Last night, I decided to really look after myself. I had a warm bubble bath, listened to an audiobook, and I made myself a simple mushroom risotto. I used some homemade stock that I already had, and I added some garlic, some celery and some lovely mushrooms. I really wanted to nourish myself and do something just for me. You can’t get that from a shop-bought meal or a takeaway. I then had a cup of tea and went to bed early. It was one of the greatest evenings ever! I woke up this morning and I felt great, really fresh. It was a revelation for me. I realised I should stop making excuses like “I’m too busy” or “I don’t have anything in the house.” It’s so important to make time for a bit of self care. It’s worth the effort.

Cooking with Anna: Modern Home Cooking with Irish Heart by Anna Haugh is out now (Bloomsbury, £26 Hardback)

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