Interview with Sophie Ruggles
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- Why and when did you come to Barcelona?
- We came to BCN in late 2003 mostly for a sea-change. My husband had lived here for a decade in the 80´s and I had been a few times on holidays from Australia and felt a great affinity with the place, the culture and the people. I also wanted my then 11 year-old daughter to know another culture intimately and to learn at least one other language fluently. Moving to BCN presented that opportunity.
- What was your experience of relocating to Barcelona with children?
- Because my daughter was entering high school and puberty I think that experience alone was challenging enough but adding two new languages and a new culture to the mix proved at times to be quite confronting and difficult. Having said that I am still constantly amazed at how well she dealt with everything and how quickly she learned to speak both Spanish and Catalan. Now she is 18 years-old and in many ways is Barcelonés just like any one of her friends although some part of her will always be Aussie.
- How family-friendly do you think the city is?
- Very, in terms of not excluding children from every day life such as eating out and community events. Parks are hard to come by but that´s evident in many European cities. People in Europe just need less space to have fun in and privacy is not as necessary either.
- How well integrated would you say you and your family are?
- Integration is a very general term and so I am supposing you mean how are we off for friends and a social life. We have friends of many races and ilks and most of them are old friends both from Spain, Australia and elsewhere . I think the hardest thing about relocating is missing people you love. Spain I think is quite a friendly place and making new acquaintances here has not been as difficult as it was when I lived in London for instance, but at the end of the day real friendships transcend geography and so I´d say we are no worse off than most people.
- Is there a large expat Australian community in Barcelona?
- Not really I think we are about 140 people or so.
- You opened your own restaurant in Barcelona in 2003 – how did you find the process of setting up & running the business?
- That question is way to big to answer here but let´s just say that I have a book pending on the subject.
- Why did you decide to leave the business?
- The business had me working 24/7 and after a few years that was taking too much of a toll on my daughter who was entering middle high school. Plus I was burned out and really wanted to dedicate more time to another passion of mine - food writing.
- You have successful written a number of cookery books, your latest is ‘Suddenly Cooking’ – who is it aimed at?
- This is the first book is a series of cookbooks aimed at the adult beginner cook. Nowadays so many people reach adulthood with a culinary repertoire of around 3-4 dishes which must make mealtime sound like a pretty boring prospect every day. Cooking is not difficult when you have easy-to-follow instructions, know what you are cooking with and don´t have to spend hours of practice to turn out good results. All my books not only include heaps of great recipes there is also a photo food dictionary of every ingredient, a useful how to chop section, a comprehensive essential kitchen tools list with diagrams and much more.
- You attribute your cooking skills to your upbringing with your 6 siblings. Can you describe a bit of what family meals were like?
- Actually I attribute my interest in cooking to having grown up in a large household of hungry mouths to feed and very little money to go around. They say that necessity is the mother of all invention and that is definitely true in my case. I became interested in cooking first and foremost to guarantee I got fed..the rest, as they say, is history.
- Many new mums find themselves thrown into family cooking after little or no experience, what is your main advice to them?
- Buy my book! I´m serious - it´ll make all the difference.
- What do you believe the key is to being a successful family cook?
- Know that food is only as complicated as you make it, be prepared and have what you need on hand before you start cooking. For example if it´s inspiration you lack then get yourself a good collection of easy delicious recipes, if it´s skills you lack then practice what you like and know and build you confidence over time.
- Can you give us three of your favourite family meals?
- Slow-baked lamb shoulder with all the trimmings, Vietnamese Phó soup & Pan-fried sea bass with seasonal salad
- What types of family meals are best to cook using ingredients available in Catalan markets?
- All the above and many many more. Do what the locals do and eat seasonally, it´s when the food is at its most beneficial in every way.
- What is the best way for people to see your recipes or buy your book?
Go to my website www.suddenlycooking.com and click on the link to buy directly from Amazon.com.
(Jan 2011)
