Inside Eleanor Ozich’s kitchen

Eleanor Ozich is an Auckland-based author and blogger (petite-kitchen.com). As a child, she lived above her parents’ Auckland restaurant and has always been a passionate foodie. She is a self-taught cook who has worked as a food writer and food stylist for Taste magazine, among others. She participated in a Q&A with Dale Berning Sawa, answering questions about her kitchen. This week she takes over The Guardian Cook Instagram account.

In the Q&A, Ozich describes her kitchen in a 1950’s beach house as “light, airy and uncluttered.” As you might expect from her blog’s title, it isn’t large but does open into the living areas. She enjoys spending time there, and thinks cooking should be a relaxing endeavor. Her culinary inspirations incude Nigel Slater and Amber Rose.

Ozich believes there is “a certain beauty to the rhythm of cooking. The gentle drum of a knife, slicing beetroot on an old wooden board, hot oil in the pan, sizzling and shimmering among fragrant herbs, onions and a little garlic. These are simple, beautiful moments, easily lost, but certainly not ordinary.”

Photo of Slow-cooked lamb shanks with cinnamon & orange zest from My Family Table: Simple Wholefood Recipes from ‘Petite Kitchen’ by Eleanor Ozich