Fed Up is an Australian chef’s odyssey into women in food and farming, where ethical, sustainable produce and care for Country dominate.
Disillusioned chef Lucy Ridge is sick of the barked orders, the long hours, the inappropriate comments in the male-dominated restaurant world. It’s ruining her love for cookery. So she decides to go searching for a more meaningful relationship with food.
Taking inspiration from her first female mentor, she seeks out women across the country to teach her how to grow, make, harvest and live a different kind of life, with ethical food production at the centre.
To celebrate the release of Lucy’s memoir, we’ve asked her a couple of curly questions.
How many kilometres did you travel for the book?
I’m guessing it was at least 20,000 kilometres by a mix of airplane, ferry and my (not so) trusty Subaru Forester!
Did you taste anything you’ve never had before?
Oh I tasted plenty of new things! Fresh curd and quark cheese at Second Mouse, barbecued pigs’ heart at Jonai Farms,
Could you see yourself living in any of the places you travelled?
Well I absolutely confirmed that I am a cold climate baby: Broome and Darwin were far too hot for me! But I loved living outside of the city, and especially on land. I can definitely see myself leaving my cozy inner city flat for something a bit more regional eventually.
What surprised you most about your travels?
When I started out on this journey I thought I would find a single job or craft I was passionate about and wanted to pursue, but what surprised me was that I became more interested in the politics of food, food sovereignty, and how the system fits together as a whole. It’s really changed my single goal to something much more broad, which I love! I learnt that you can’t silo yourself off and think ‘I’m just a chef’ or ‘I’m just a farmer’ and ignore the wider context of food.
It was like I was focussing on a single piece of the jigsaw without realising it was part of a much larger picture.
What’s your favourite food?
This is a phenomenally difficult question to answer: it’s kind of like asking ‘who is your favourite child’ to someone with heaps of kids! Instead I will reframe the question to something like ‘what food are you enjoying at the moment’ which narrows things down a bit. Late summer is a brilliant season in this region for fresh fruit and veg and there’s a real abundance of produce right now.
I’ve been enjoying heirloom tomatoes (most recently baked into a wickedly good danish from local Under Bakery) and zucchinis. I never bother growing zucchini as other people always end up with a glut so I receive lots from friends and family. I love to slice it, fry it with plenty of good olive oil, garlic, a little chilli, lemon, anchovies and pine nuts. Cook up some good pasta in properly salted water, add it to the veg and mix through some basil leaves. I basically live off some variation of this meal during summer.
What’s your favourite drink?
Again – a very tough choice! But I’ve recently been enjoying some lovely local Canberra Chardonnay, and also getting into some creative non-alcoholic options too.
Where are your 5 favourite places to eat?
I’ve got to shout out brilliant local ramen joint Canteen in Fyshwick, Canberra. Their veggie rice bowl saw me through many moments of writer’s block!
Bar Rochford is always a good time. Great bevs, ever changing menu and a vinyl soundtrack. Good for a post work feed or a late night drink.
Dickson Asian Noodle House is something of an institution in Canberra. I love their laksa and eat it when I’m sad, when I’m celebrating, when I’m sick, when I’m in need of comfort: anytime really.
My good friend Ruth Gaha Morris runs a beautiful restaurant called Scrumpers Kitchen out at Bungendore around half an hour out of Canberra. She cooks with lots of great local produce and dining there is always a joy. It’s simple food that lets the ingredients shine and she’s got such a creative way of using fruit and veg in ways you wouldn’t expect, but they always work.
And honestly, my house! Especially when I’ve got friends around to help with the cooking (and, most importantly, the washing up!) Writing this book really reignited my love for cooking at home, and I am constantly inspired by the contents of my weekly produce box from local food and farming co-op Southern Harvest. It’s so fresh and beautifully grown: I want to honour the hard work of the farmers by making something delicious.
Fed Up is out now. Grab yourself a bunch of grapes and start reading!
