DELIGHTFUL AND DELICIOUS. TONIA BUXTON
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Tonia Buxton is a writer and historian, a qualified nutritionist and the mother of four children; but she is probably best known for her role as the presenter and producer of The Discovery Channels’ award winning series; My Greek Kitchen and My Cypriot Kitchen. The series has received global acclaim and Tonia has become the proud ambassador of Hellenic cuisine in thirty different countries.
The cookery programs became hugely successful, due to their entertaining mixture of fun, family, friends and traditional Greek food. Tonia’s approach to the art of cooking is typically Greek and can be best described with the word Kopiaste, a Greek word which sums up the pleasure in the sharing delicious food and good company. Each of Tonia Buxton’s traditional recipes has been lovingly handed down through generations of women; but they also reflect Tonia’s own unique interpretations, flavours and memories. The latest book featuring recipes from all of the earlier series, ‘Tonia’s Greek Kitchen,’ has just been launched. The book’s friendly and informative style has ensured its popularity in kitchens across the globe.
You were born in London to Cypriot parents; do you feel a strong sense of connection to Cyprus and its cuisine?
I really do; and I think that all of us that were born outside of Cyprus, all of the second generation Cypriots that were born in Britain, Australia or South Africa; we have a very strong sense of being Cypriot; and that is because our parents brought us up in such a way, because they didn’t want us to lose our culture, our religion, our food; and so they made an extra effort. The parents who were already in Cyprus didn’t have the need to do that - so I almost think that the Cypriots born outside of Cyprus are more Cypriot than those inside of Cyprus. When it comes to the food, as you know, I have a total love for it!
As a qualified historian, do you think it is important to introduce context and culture into your wonderful, My Greek Kitchen, cookery programs?
Most definitely, for me the show was more about people, the culture and the history, rather than anything else. My shows are thirty minutes long and of those thirty minutes, actually, only ten minutes were about the food; the rest of the show was about getting to the food and being Greek. I was very lucky, because we have mythology and I could interweave mythology and historical stories, as well as cultural stories into the programs. I think it makes it much more interesting to do.
Who inspired your love of cooking?
Without a shadow of a doubt, my mum! My mum is the chief inspirer, then it kind of goes in categories; it was my grandmother and my mum’s sisters. I have got recipes from my mother-in-law and various aunts. Initially, I didn’t enjoy cooking. Because my mum was at work I had to cook for my brothers; so I started cooking, not from love, but from duress. Then, once I started cooking and started cooking well, it became something fantastic and I inverted all my friends around. I must have been the only fourteen year old to have dinner parties!
“My Greek Kitchen” was based on an original idea of yours. How did this idea develop into the popular series?
It wasn’t an idea of mine; it was an idea of my husband. He is the one that came up with the idea, that there is not enough information about Greek and Cypriot food around. He asked, ‘why didn’t I come up with a show that would go into different people’s kitchens and talk about where they got their inspiration from for their Greek and Cypriot cooking?’ From there I took it to a production company called Isis Media and they loved the idea and helped me to evolve it into My Greek Kitchen and My Cypriot Kitchen… I must add that before that happened, I had two years of doors slamming in my face and people saying, ‘no we don’t like that idea.’ I just think, if you really want something, you have to be tenacious and just lift yourself up again and keep going! Eventually we got the show off the ground. "Most of the recipes are traditional, because most of the recipes come from My Greek Kitchen, series one and two, which is totally traditional; but there are also the recipes from My Cypriot Kitchen and a lot of those were my inspiration".
Your new cookery book has just been launched; are the recipes traditional or have you added your own interpretations to classic dishes?
Most of the recipes are traditional, because most of the recipes come from My Greek Kitchen, series one and two, which is totally traditional; but there are also the recipes from My Cypriot Kitchen and a lot of those were my inspiration. I was also taking ingredients, which are Greek and Cypriot, like Loukoumi, (Greek delight) and I made it into a Pavlova, which hasn’t been done before, with things like rosewater and cinnamon - and I made up my own recipes, but infused with flavours and aromas. The thing about the book is that it is not just recipes; it took me seven years to write this book! A lot of people, it takes them very short amounts of time to do their cookery books; but mine is full of pictures of my family. I went through all of the archives; I raided my aunts and my grandmothers’ stores of photos. There are lots of pictures of my mum, when she was a little girl, there are pictures of my brother; and before each recipe, as well as how to do the recipe, there is a little dialogue of how I learnt it or who gave it to me or what experience it evoked; so it’s got stories in it as well as food.
You are an inspiration to women everywhere; how do you keep your perfect figure while making such delicious desserts?
Well without a doubt I eat my desserts! I have got such a terrible sweet tooth and what I realised early on, when I was still quite young, is that I would have to do a bit of exercise; so if I was going to keep up eating the way I was eating - and nothing is going to stop me from doing that, enjoying my food - I had to do a bit of exercise. So I try to fit in a run or a long walk or a Zumba class or something. If I try and do something about three times a week, then I find that I can eat and drink to my heart’s content!
What motivated you to become a nutritionist?
I was really interested in nutrition because I was a very silly teenager; even though I was perfectly fine, as all teenagers are, I thought I was too fat and stopped eating. I did silly things, like living on a bag of carrots and I really messed my metabolism around for a little while. I got interested in nutrition, because I wanted to find out what was the best way you could eat, live, and be happy. Because I had done some damage when I was a teenager, I think we have to watch our teenagers and the way they eat, as it can be quite problematic, if you don’t keep an eye on them. I know, because I have two teenage daughters. They will say ‘I’m not hungry,’ and I think, what is going on here? I wanted to understand the foods I was eating and because I was doing a lot of recipe writing and I was also writing about nutrition for pregnant women, I needed to be knowledgeable about it. So, that is what brought me into the field of nutrition and it’s really fascinating. Everybody changes their ideas of what is good nutrition and you are always learning; it is a very interesting subject.
"I got interested in nutrition, because I wanted to find out what was the best way you could eat, live, and be happy".
When did your famous love affair with cinnamon begin?
I love cinnamon and everybody knows it! I am constantly being ridiculed because I put it into the sweet dishes, I put it into savoury dishes; I put it into whatever I can. I think it was when I was young, actually, my mum cooked with lots of cinnamon - just to finish a recipe off, she would put in a pinch of cinnamon and so it must have been from her inspiration that I loved cinnamon! But what I did find out afterwards from my studies in nutrition is that cinnamon is a great blood sugar regulator; so if you are going to have a quite sweet dessert, if it has cinnamon in or sprinkled on it, it helps to regulate your sugar, so that you don’t have any ups and downs. It was born out of love of the flavour, but it has its good reasons too.
How do you prepare for Christmas; is it a big event for you and your family?
Our Christmases are always pretty chaotic affairs. I always think of it as a 5 day event! 2 days to shop & prepare, Christmas day itself and then 2 days recovery and getting the house back to normal.
I always do Christmas at my house and we have a lot of family, this year I think we are going to be 20 around the table. I love a very traditional English Christmas, with all the trimmings, but there is always something a bit Greek there too, I do an extra stuffing with couscous & raisins which is Cypriot, or I have rose-water infused mince pies.
As a much admired cook, a mother of four children and an accomplished television presenter; what does the word Status mean to you?
Status – that’s an interesting word. I would like to think that my Status is people like me that believe in what they do, because it’s taken me a long time to get here and all of it was done through quite hard work and lots of juggling. The word Status means that I have finally got there, and I actually have Status in my cooking, in being a mum and in being a wife.
For further information: www.toniabuxton.co.uk
Cookery book: Tonia’s Greek Kitchen €19.99