Interview with Lorraine Elliott from Not Quite Nigella

I’m a fan of Lorraine Elliott from Not Quite Nigella and I have been for a while. The lady has some incredible cooking skills and she’s also really entertaining. Plus she turned her side hustle into her full time gig and has been running Not Quite Nigella for 10 and a half years. She’s also well known as one of Australia’s best food bloggers.

I’ve had a few conversations with Lorraine on Instagram since last year. I recently reached out to her to see if I could share her cinnamon roll recipe and to ask her if she would be happy to answer a few questions for a mini interview, she happily agreed.

What was on your plate for breakfast, lunch and dinner yesterday?

Breakfast: A chai latte

Lunch: Steak and beetroot salad

Dinner: I went out for dinner at Arthur, a new restaurant in Sydney with a friend. We ate 12 courses of food!

What’s one food item you couldn’t live without?

Chilli. Life is unbearably bland without it..

You have one last 3-course meal to eat. What would it be?

Ok now you’re talking. I love thinking about this sort of thing.

Entree: Peking Duck pancake course (skin only)

Main: a Diavola Napoletana style pizza with a scoop of mascarpone (don’t knock it til you try it)

Dessert: my Snickers cake maybe? I feel like it would involve peanut butter…

What’s your favourite (or top three) places to dine in Sydney?

It constantly changes and I couldn’t really name three. I like eating lots of different things and it depends on my mood. I am partial to a long Sunday lunch though so somewhere where they let you stay all afternoon is always high on my list.

Have you been to Canberra much? If so, what was your favourite dining experience?

A recent dining experience I really enjoyed was Bella’s at Tallagandra Hill. It was the warm atmosphere and the service as much as the food that I loved. Simple, unpretentious and unexpected.

What’s your favourite food memory or experience?

Whenever I travel for food always creates a wonderful memory for me.

What’s your favourite thing to cook?

Cakes and desserts. There’s always cakes or dessert going on at my house.

You’re planning a dinner party for friends, what’s on the menu?

I try and theme things usually around one food or one type of food. So it would probably depend on the friends and what I felt like cooking. But I am having a particular obsession with Indian and Sri Lankan food lately so perhaps something from those cuisines?

How many times do you cook a week and how many times do you eat out a week?

I cook pretty much every day or at least 5 days a week but the focus is often on sweets. I go out 3 times a week to a mix of places, usually Friday and Saturday nights and maybe an early weeknight or Sunday lunch.

When did you start Not Quite Nigella?

I started blogging 11 years ago and 10.5 years ago went full time. It has been the most rewarding but scary transition as I had no idea what was going to happen with blogging at all and whether it would become a viable career.

Do you have any advice for other food bloggers?

Do whatever makes you happy and find your own path and style. Applies for everyone I think.

How have you seen the food blogging space change over the years?

It has changed massively from when I started 11 years ago. A lot of budgets have shifted towards Instagram and that presents a challenge for everyone involved. But while IG is a great visual forum, people still read, although they read differently.

What’s your favourite part of your job?

Eating! 😉

Get the recipe for Lorraine’s cinnamon rolls.