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Elisa Benyon - won the hearts of judges with her food writing |
Something’s stirring at the vicarage
Just when you thought you’d had enough of super chefs telling us how to boil an egg, along comes vicar’s wife from Highbury, Elisa Beynon.
Elisa doesn’t swear in the kitchen, (“perish the thought”) or pout provocatively Nigella Lawson style as she prepares her soufflé.
But her style of writing – and infectious enthusiasm – won the hearts of the judges in the prestigious first Waitrose Food Illustrated Writing Competition, and a book deal worth £20,000.
Elisa, whose husband Rev Nigel Beynon is an associate minister at a church in the City, beat off 2,500 Nigella hopefuls with winning recipes that include The Great Chocolate Rescue Remedy (for hormonal girls) , Hot Halloumi Salad (for social girls) and Sunshine soup (for post-baby blues).
The judges, who included TV chef Nigel Slater, felt that her entry, bursting with mouth-watering ideas from the vicarage kitchen, displayed warmth, gentle humour and terrific home cooking.
Mother of two young children, Elisa, from Aubert Park, said that as a vicar’s wife she had to get used to cooking for large groups of people.
She added: “At university my only claim to culinary fame was the fact that I loved tomato sauce on my broccoli. It was hardly an auspicious start to a vicar’s wifedom.
“However, church and food seem to go together like PMT and chocolate. Get a bunch of churchies together and a big feed-up is always on the cards. So I started to cook and to my surprise found that I enjoyed it.”
Over the years, she said, people told her that they liked what she served up and that she should write down the recipes.
“Food has the power to give pleasure and help people relax. A steaming plate of good sausages, fluffy buttery mash and some rich onion gravy is the culinary equivalent of a long, comforting soak in the bath.”
Her recipe for a broken heart is warming celery soup, enriched with a creamy blue cheese like Cashel Blue or Fourme d’Ambert.
To soothe premenstrual tension she suggests a bowl of good old fashioned macaroni cheese; and for simple chats with friends an earthy, warm salad can hit the right note.
William Sitwell, Editor of Waitrose Food Illustrated said: “Elisa’s entry shone because her writing is really accessible and she draws you into her life, into her kitchen and her world of food and cooking.
“I think that people will love her because she has a natural enthusiasm for her subject – engaging without being patronising, energetic without being irritating.”
The recipe book will be published by 4th Estate later this year. |
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