We were fascinated by how the beautiful Lorraine Pascale of TV cookery-show fame manages to stay so fit and healthy when she bakes cakes for a living, so we asked her! Lorraine has had huge success with her TV and cook book career (as well as working as a top model before turning to the kitchen).
She makes stunning but easy and accessible recipes and the most recent publishing treat from Lorraine is How to Be A Better Cook a collection of sweet and savoury treats with less sugar. Lorraine has such a warm and engaging nature that has made our whole office love her. We were also incredibly touched by the documentary Lorraine made recently for BBC 2, Fostering & Me, in which she looked at her own experience of being fostered as a child and the experiences of foster children in the London borough of Lambeth, which highlighted the need for more people to foster.
Hey Lorraine
C&J: You describe yourself as “love to lift weights. I'm caught in a love triangle between quinoa, cakes & the gym” tell us about your food philosophy?
LP: My food philosophy is to try and be healthy as often as I can. I tend to eat relatively healthy on most days with a good balance of protein, fats and carbs and then on Saturday I have a cheat meal where I eat pretty much what I want and have a glass or two of wine (or cocktails!)
C&J: We see a lot of eggs and juice drinking on your Instagram, what is your ultimate healthy start to the day?
LP: I start my day with a protein shake an hour before the day and then one after the gym. Normally I have some pineapple and then 2-3 poached eggs on toasted rye with some salad and or veg. Then once or twice a week I will have a green juice, normally using cucumber as a base with ginger, mint, half an apple, lime and some spinach or kale.
C&J: Between publishing books, shooting cooking shows & running your business how do you stay on top of your energy and health, what’s your favourite way to work up a sweat?
LP: I fell in love with lifting weights about a year and a half ago. I do about 5 sessions a week a long with 2-3 HIIT sessions on the elliptical trainer or the bike and I also love love spinning. All of these work up a good sweat!
C&J: What is the one kitchen essential you couldn’t live without?
LP: My ceramic frying pan. It is non-stick and browns food up nicely without loads of oil.
C&J: Do superfoods feature in your day to day life?
LP: The media says that superfoods are things like blueberries, broccoli and oats etc and I do eat oodles of those. I have used wheatgrass for about six months and they occasionally feature in my juices and also spirulina.
C&J: You have created quite the cooking empire for yourself, what is the main thing you want people to bring away from your recipes?
LP: Thank you! I want people to feel that the recipes are accessible, tasty, easy and fun to make!
C&J: Tell us the truth, who eats all the cakes you create for your TV shows? You look so great, we don’t believe it can be you!
LP: I have my cake and eat it on a Saturday! And occasional nibbles in between. But during making the show when there is so much food around it is so so hard not to keep nibbling and then I do put on about 10lbs in weight!!! But the crew do a good job of eating it! Everything in moderation I say… and the good thing is that when healthy eating becomes a habit the cravings for the sweet things do lessen. I have a couple of squares of dark chocolate in the evening as a treat sometimes ☺
