Lewes is a town that runs on its stomach. Lots of good cooks live here, and many people are interested in culinary matters. So, as Viva’s new food editor, I thought it might be fun to have a good nose into some Lewes kitchens. This week I’ve been talking to Sophie Orloff of FOODfood about what inspired her to be a cook.

What have you been up to in your kitchen recently? I’ve been researching Finnish food for the current production of The Finnish Prisoner opera. I hadn’t realised what a history of hardship and famine the Finnish people have. Consequently, they are passionate about extremely fresh, simple food. More fresh fruit than I expected, things like cloudberries and lingenberries. There’s beetroot, buckwheat and rye breads, smoked fish influences from Sweden, and a love of creamy things from the Russian side. You find lots of fresh herbs like dill, and I was surprised at the number of spices. I found a lovely recipe for cardamom cake.
How would you describe your cookery ethos? Fresh ingredients. Letting food speak for itself. Taste being more important than fancy presentation. Local over organic - I think a pig or a cabbage tastes better if it hasn’t traveled. Cook-in sauces are an anathema to me.
What’s FOODfood about? To give people who like decent food the night off. I used to come home from work wanting stew and mash and not have time to make it. Now I make fast food at home - like steak and mushrooms with crème fraiche and green peppercorns.
What do you most like to cook? International peasant food, stewish things in particular.
What’s your first memory of food? Stealing a tube of marrons glace purée from the cupboard when I was four. I squeezed it onto a plate and ate it with cream. I remember feeling sick.