The Plating Game: Claire Aldous

Food Editor Claire Aldous has been with dish magazine since its inception 20 years ago, so it’s with pleasure we honour her with this edition’s Plating Game.

Not only is Claire highly regarded among the dish team, but she’s also renowned in the industry. She’s admired for her knack for whipping up delicious yet user-friendly recipes and for always being a robust supporter of chefs and restauranteurs.

As Ray McVinnie proudly says, “She’s one of the best cooks I know, including internationally; she has an incredible depth of knowledge. She creates unpretentious food that people can make.”

Ray first met Claire in the 1990s through the Epicurean Workshop cooking school and The French Café, where she was a regular diner. He remembers her as always being incredibly glamorous and well-known to the owners.

A true foodie, Claire loves researching and gleaning ideas from places she visits.

Claire’s good friend and fellow cook, Nici Wickes, describes her as the best dining companion you could ever wish for. She is always keen to try out a new place and is not shy of ordering generously from the menu.

“I’ve been lucky enough to travel with Claire, and again, she is the perfect buddy because she is always up for eating, regardless of when we last had a meal. If we pass a market, bakery or interesting little eatery, she only needs to raise her eyebrows, and I know we’re about to eat again.”

Claire and Nici have done a few events together cooking on stage, which Nici says is entertaining as Claire is very organised and Nici is “organic in my approach". Everything Claire cooks seems to come together effortlessly.

“I've shared New Year's Eve with Claire for about ten years now and Christmas Days for almost as long, and her generosity when it comes to the concept of 'bring a plate' is unparalleled. A salad will be THE BEST you've ever tasted, a lemon tart the silkiest, and Indian Dahi Puri so good that my family still talks about them to this day. She's a legend when it comes to recipe development, New Zealand's best I'd say, creating the most exciting yet approachable recipes for any cook to try at home."

dish editor Sarah Tuck first met Claire when she began contributing recipes to dish ten years ago. “What struck me immediately was Claire’s openness and complete lack of ego. She was so encouraging and reassuring that it gave me the confidence that I needed to grow. She has been my champion at dish from the very start, urging me to take on the role of editor and supporting me in the job ever since. I can’t imagine doing it without her!”

An early food memory:
Claire: Going with my parents on the weekend to one of the many orchards in Albany. We would get beautiful, ripe, juicy rock melons, nectarines and peaches. They would put the peeled, sliced peaches into big wine glasses, and the adults got a generous pour of red wine, and I would be allowed a tiny drop. A sprinkling of caster sugar and left to macerate for a while ... it encapsulated everything about long hot summers.

What food did you grow up with?
Claire: I was very lucky that my mother used to cook a wide variety of dishes and I look back in awe that she also worked full-time while creating this amazing food. We had classic French dishes, ranging from boned, stuffed, crumbed pig trotters and terrines to take on picnics to roasted duck and occasionally pheasant. We had plenty of traditional English cuisine, especially the fabulous winter puddings and steak and kidney pies, which I still adore, but she also cooked seasonal, economical meals. Soups in winter, salads in summer and many versions of schnitzel, which the whole family loved all year round – chicken, veal and pork with a herby, cheese crumb coating. We took the leftovers to school in a sandwich.

Entertaining at home:
Claire: It’s never a “dinner party”. "Just come on over for dinner" is my style. It could be a recipe test, re-gigged leftovers from a photo shoot, or something I have a craving for. I keep it simple. There will always be a salad and good bread on the table, and it will be served family-style. My friends bring the wine, and they know I love bubbles.

A career in food:
Claire: There was never a plan; I just seemed to be in the right place
at the right time and always put up my hand for whatever situation presented itself. Sometimes, that was terrifying. But I knew I was a good cook and always backed myself – if you don’t show fear, everyone thinks you know what you’re doing. My focus on cooking as paid work probably began when I cooked for a family in London. I undertook a well-known Le Cordon Bleu cookery course, which led to having my own catering business and worked for Julie Biuso at her cooking school 'La Dolce Vita'. I also worked for a caterer, made cakes late at night and sold them to earn extra money and ran a cook school for Catherine Bell. It was this job that morphed into becoming the food editor at dish. It’s been a dream career, proving that if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.

Eating out in New Zealand and overseas:
Claire: I’ve been incredibly lucky to have a job that allows me to eat out and travel regularly. About 35 years ago, I went to Chez Panisse and Zuni Café in San Francisco on a work trip, and I still remember the total joy of sitting in each of them, eating dishes I had dreamed about and then being given a tour of their kitchens. At Chez Panisse, we had their seasonal set menu followed by a wedge of superb cheese that was served by an elderly French woman they had brought over from France for a month. She spoke no English; this was the only cheese she made, and her pride in it was immense. At Zuni, it was owner Judy Rodgers’ legendary Roast Chicken with Bread Salad, well described as salty, fatty, crunchy and totally addictive: a real pinch-me moment and one of many that I’ve never forgotten or take for granted.