Sophie is not only celebrating her 33rd birthday🥳 this week, but also the beginning of her maternity leave – what a week eh! Don’t worry the business will still be running and we are sure Sophie will be popping her virtual head in being a family run business and all that.
In true Avenue style, when it is someones birthday we like to put together our top 10 questions, so you can get to know The Avenue family a little bit better, so without further ado here is Sophie’s interview.

What has been your strangest foodie craving throughout your pregnancy ?🤰 

I haven’t had anything too weird but was eating loads of grapefruit at the beginning and in general LOADS of carbs and sweet things🍫🍪🍩 – I never had a sweet tooth but my god, I could fill out a sweet shop with the amount of delicious treats I have eaten!

How has it been ruling the roost in The Avenue office 👩‍💻 throughout your pregnancy?

There have been a few stresses of certain projects that I have been working on for a while now that I have been trying to tie up before attempting some sort of time off to prepare for – a new website being the main one, which sadly will have to wait until I’m back! But also the ever-changing government guidelines and new lockdown have been up there with out of the ordinary things to deal with, leading to hundreds of cancellations and damage control from the office side adding to the workload. But, saying that, in general it has been manageable and that is massively down to the team I have working alongside me being great – thanks Niv (my husband), Lydia and Lily!

What has been your 2020 highlight? 😷 

Well it’s got to be getting pregnant!

What is something you will miss about lockdown days 📝 when the world finally goes back to normal?

Honestly nothing at this stage. We spent the first lockdown at my fathers house in the country and that was pretty amazing in spring; but London in autumn, I want to be doing cosy pub lunches/dinner parties etc and enjoying the freedom of life without a child, but instead we are in lockdown! At least being pregnant I’m not missing out on anything!

Where is your favourite place in London to go for Brunch? 🍳

My house! I have to say, although I do love having brunch out, I do think Shanga (Niv, my husband) and I whip up pretty delicious brunches – we tend to have one most Saturdays and Sundays so we are well practised.

Where is the first place you will travel to once Lockdown is lifted? 🌎
Oh god, I think about this a lot! I have been called a bit of a gypsy in the past due to the amount I travel, I am always looking for the next trip and place to explore. Shanga and I have thought and discussed this a number of times and we haven’t really come to an answer. We did initially want to road trip around the US, which changed to Eastern Europe with covid, with our newborn, but I suppose it would be somewhere that isn’t about to hit another lockdown and is back to a new kind of ’normal’, enabling us to explore and eat out, enjoying the local cuisine!

What is your favourite cookbook and why? 📚

I don’t really use cookbooks as I tend to browse the internet for 3 or so varying recipes for the same dish and then read them, take what look like the best bits to me, and put my own take on it. Saying that I do seem to open our Avenue cookbook quite a lot as I am terrible with remembering the weights and regularly make a few of the recipes in there – Diana’s Bread and Special Chocolate Brownies to name 2!

We have recently brought out lots of new classes at The Avenue, which one are you most looking forward to trying? 🧑‍🍳

Even though I created the basis of the class, The Middle Eastern Class because I am yet to make falafel and although I could just follow the recipe I want to learn from Rich how to boss them as I know he does – his are sooo good!
Also our Gnocchi Workshop as Rich bangs on about how good they are, and although I have managed to make them successfully, my first attempt at gnocchi was a total disaster so definitely looking for the tips and tricks on a fool-proof gnocchi recipe!

Are you going to raise the newest Avenue baby as a mini Richard head chef? Or do too many cooks spoil the broth? 👶 🧑‍🍳

Definitely! I’m looking at it in many stages – early babysitting for my child, holiday/weekend jobs for them and a child who will hopefully be an amazing cook and hard worker from having done it from a young age. Oh and working closely with their uncle of course – ideal!!

Would you rather have The Avenue phone line 📞 surgically attached to your ear or The Avenue email notification sound constantly pinging 24 hours a day? 💻 

Haha, this is a difficult one! It depends on whether I have to answer the phone as we have had calls at 6am on a Sunday morning and the odd 1am call, but then emails go off throughout the day and night! I would probably say email though, as it wouldn’t be on my body and I could phase the noise out with music and imagine it would be easier to get used to.

 

We hope you all enjoyed getting to know Sophie a little better and once again – HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOPHIE 🎈 and remember now is the time to eat all the cake, so take advantage! 🤰🏼🎂