Meet: Olivia Galletly

For as long as I can remember, food and the joy of eating has been a big part of my life.

My parents are both really amazing cooks. Piles of cookbooks littered the house when I was a kid. I’d come home after school and create these ridiculous afternoon teas for me and my sister. Poor Mum often came home to an absolute bombsite of a kitchen.

On inspiration...

"My family. My parents, grandmothers and siblings are all so into food and eating that there is a constant barrage of food-related talk and photography going on between us – the latest restaurants, dishes, recipes and cookbooks, how to make something from scratch, what was a disaster and, of course, what we’re cooking today. 

On her craft...

"Apart from the eating, it’s the idea of creating something out of nothing. It is so satisfying – and really not that difficult – to create a delicious meal out of the bits and pieces that lurk in the fridge or pantry. That forgotten food, buried at the bottom of the vege drawer, paired with the cheapest cut of meat that's on special at the butcher.   

On her last meal...

"Definitely a strawberry frangipane tart – truly delicious."

On her worst baking nightmare...

"I once made a beautiful layer cake for a friend's birthday. As I took it out of the fridge, an open jar of gherkins fell on top of it. I thought it looked quite brilliant, but needless to say the vinegary pickle added nothing to the taste – yes, I did taste it and it wasn’t nice. I don’t recommend pickled gherkin layer cake."

On her favourite kitchen creation...

"The Sourdough Bread that I make religiously every Sunday morning. When it isn’t bread day, my ultimate treat is to make and eat something slow and low like an Oxtail Ragout with Homemade Pasta."

On what cooking means...

"Bringing family and friends together to share, feast and laugh. I love to see people happily chatting over dinner, knowing that a part of that happiness is coming from something that I’ve cooked."

On her dream dinner party guest list...

"Definitely not any celebrity chefs – way too scary! Probably hilarious actors like Paul Rudd, Chris O’Dowd and Kristen Wiig."  

On who she'd like to be stuck in an elevator with...

"Are you kidding? An elevator repair person or whoever can get me outta there the fastest! I am terrified of small spaces, especially elevators."

On her favourite food blogs...

"I am a food blog – the first food blog I fell in love with, almost everything is super drool-worthy and the flavour combinations are really inspiring. Broma Bakery by Sarah Fennel, it's full of great recipes and helpful photography tutorials, which I found useful when I was starting out. From the Kitchen by Sarah Tuck, delicious, fool-proof recipes – and the photography is incredible!" 

On what's next for The Hungry Cook...

"I recently took the terrifying leap into a career as a freelance recipe developer, stylist and photographer. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do – I just needed the courage to do it. Having the opportunity to meet and work with so many talented people and to now focus on the thing I love most is a dream come true. Heaven knows where the path will eventually lead, but the journey so far is really exciting."

On the best piece of advice she's ever received... 

"Shut up and eat it! – I was a very fussy child. Learning to eat is just as important as learning to cook."