Feedback with Louise Boyce

This month we tracked down model, author and award winning content creator Louise Boyce

As if looking after three children and running a home isn't enough to keep her busy, she has now managed to find the time to write her first book Mama Still Got It!, chronicling the joys and fulfilment - as well as the perils and pitfalls - of motherhood during a school year.

All the key milestones are covered, as well as the shame of being late for pick up and delicately navigating the class Whatsapp groups. Louise finds humour in the most mundane parts of life and reminds all mothers they are not alone. Needless to say it wasn't easy getting time with her, but she managed to squeeze us into her busy scehdule to let us know what her food likes and dislilkes are - and all without divulging the secret to her exquisite roast potatoes...!

What food always reminds you of your childhood?
My most nostalgic food is definitely Macaroni Cheese. My mum makes the most amazing one, and I still ask her to make it for me when I go to her house for supper.  I’m sure that she’s over it but don’t think I will ever be. I’ve tried to recreate what is supposedly quite a simple dish for my children but it’s never the same and I can’t put my finger on why as I use her recipe! 

Do you have a current favourite restaurant or type of restaurant? 
My favourite restaurants are either Italian or Mexican. We went on holiday to Mexico earlier this year and I fell in love all over again with the cuisine. I’m vegetarian which generally means I have less choice on a typical menu which is highly irritating, but in Mexico there are so many fresh plant-based options I was overwhelmed with choice. This is the same with Italian too, the Mediterranean ‘diet’ lends itself so well to vegetarians. A restaurant I have loved recently is Mallow London. Partly because it makes plant-based food so exciting and flavoursome, and partly because it’s where I first met my Editor from Harper Collins, then we went back there a couple of weeks ago to celebrate my first book Mama Still Got It! being a Top 10 Sunday Times Bestseller so it holds a special place in my heart!

Do you cook and if so, what’s your signature dish? 
Not to blow my own trumpet but I do think I make the best Sunday roasts! My roast potatoes are exquisite... this is no exaggeration. My husband Jesse and I host every Christmas and I do think this could be because of the potatoes… I do have a secret to it…

What food or ingredient could you not do without?
Sweetcorn. I want it in everything. 

What was the most memorable meal you can remember eating? 
I was on a boat in the middle of the ocean in Thailand and the only thing to eat was the fish we were catching. Being a vegetarian I wasn’t a fan, so the skipper made me an egg mayonnaise baguette. I’m not sure where he was hiding all this food on such a small boat but it was the most delicious egg mayo sandwich ever. I’ve never forgotten it and think about it often (weird but true!). I haven’t had one since as don’t feel like it would ever live up to that one! 

What are family mealtimes like at home.  Do you all eat the same, or do you find you are making different meals for everyone? 
I live with my husband Jesse and our three children, Basil, 11, Sonny, 7, and Inca, 3, so it’s fair to say that mealtimes can be a little stressful. I usually feed the kids who will prod their food and say they don’t like it, even though they do, then my husband and I will eat separately after they’re in bed (as we like more than beige food). But on weekends I insist we all eat together and it’s hit or miss. And when it’s ‘hit’ it’s the absolute best!

Did you have any food cravings when you were pregnant?
Yes! I really craved ham which was a little tricky to navigate. But I stuck to the way I eat every day (meat free) and now I’m really pleased I didn’t give in.    

Is there something particular you always keep in the fridge?
Wine.

What would be your last supper if literally anything was available to you and where would you eat it?
Macaroni Cheese made by my mum at her house. Nothing beats it.

'Mama Still Got It!'  £14.99 published by HarperCollins, available now from Waterstones - find out more here

Follow Louise on Instagram @mamastillgotit_