LUNCH WITH CURTIS
By Sarah Cavalier
It was funny chatting to Curtis Stone on the phone. His voice is so familiar that it feels like I’m talking to an old friend, but really, it’s just familiar because we hear him on our TV screens so often telling us all about the best fresh food available at Coles! After two years away, being stuck in LA due to the pandemic, where he lives with his wife Lindsey and their two boys Emerson and Hudson, Curtis is finally back in Australia for Summer, sharing the Coles love, and doing what he loves best, cooking. This Mama was lucky enough to have a chat with him too...
You’re back in Australia for the first time in over 2 years. What’s it been like reconnecting with your family after so long? Well mum shed several tears. It’s been so great catching up with everyone. Nieces and nephews to hug. My brother has three kids and my sister has a daughter. The whole tribe is here.
What Aussie food do you miss most when you’re in LA? Sausage rolls! So I make my own! Luckily I own a pie shop in LA. The biggest thing I miss is Australian bread. How does the whole of America have such bad bread? There are certain fish you can’t get there either fish. Dory, flounder, flathead. Imagine no flathead! Coffee is terrible too, so I import Australian roasted coffee to my restaurants, and I have good coffee at home. I never order coffee when I’m out and about.
What’s your advice for family meals with young kids? Don’t ever cook them anything different. Whatever you’re having for dinner, give it to them, whatever you are eating, except maybe a hot curry! If you need to blend or mush it, do. That’s exactly what we did, and both my boys have been pretty adventurous with food since.
What would we find in Hudson and Emerson’s school lunchboxes? Variety is king and I’ve got to constantly give them something different to keep them interested. They expect and embrace it now. 12
But if you narrow down what kids eat, new things can become a challenge, so don’t reinvent the wheel. Swap similar things up. My boys like sandwiches, so we work with that as a base but get creative. I use one of about 20 different fillings, swap between six different types of bread, use wraps etc. Simple changes are the way to do it. We change fruit every day too and then let them tell us what doest work.
What are your top tips to parents for creating a healthy-yet-tasty lunchbox? Start with colours. Make it fun and appealing. A few different fruit and veg. Celery, carrot, dips, home-made or not. Spread dip on a sandwich. How you cut it can matter too. Mix up the presentation. Sandwich fingers, triangles, get a shape cutter or don’t even cut it at all. What you put in there depends on how adventurous they are. Frittata (or eggy squares as we call them) are cool. Little tarts that are like mini quiches are great. I make a muesli bars or a lemon bar once a week. Homemade things are nice once in a while, but don’t feel you have to do it all the time.
What can we do if kids are coming home with uneaten food? It’s tricky. It can be a time thing, too busy playing with their mates, but a straight question won’t always give you the right answer. Understand why they didn’t like it. Make them feel a part of it. Get them to help you put together the lunchbox so they feel involved. Ask “how can I do a better job?” “show me how”.
