Meet Hanna Geller

Q&A with Building Feasts –

1. Where do you call home and what do you love about it?

London is my home, but a piece of my heart will always be in America, where my parents are from and where I have lived for a number of years at different times in my life. I am still surprised by London’s beauty - the parks, the green, the stature of the architecture, the accessibility (mostly) and access to culture everywhere. I walk everywhere and love constantly making new discoveries even in my most frequent haunts. It’s a city I am very lucky to call home.

1. How does the food you eat and cook reflect where you call home?

I love the diversity of what you find in every neighbourhood in London and that definitely inspires my cooking. The vast range of spices and delicacies you can pick up in neighbourhood shops constantly brings new flavours to old dishes and I am so grateful to have that on my doorstep. I always joke that I cook English and bake American. My passion for baking is definitely rooted in the more relaxed brownie/cookie/cake comfort food form rather than patisserie.

1. What is your earliest food memory?

I had a very special apron that I wore to stand on my dedicated footstool next to my mother in the kitchen. She would give me jobs and tasks to complete (including licking the bowl after the cake went into the oven. I took my sous chef role very seriously. It really didn't matter what we were making, I wanted to be a part of it. Our house was always the hub and I loved being in on the food action.

1. What is your all time go-to dish for a quick comfort meal?

I often intentionally make too much of a dish just so that I can have leftovers for lunch the following day. There’s nothing more comforting than a fridge forage bowl of something delicious with a jammy or fried egg on top…...

1. What dish says Hannukah/Festive season to you?

I am obsessed with cranberry sauce. I make three or four different varieties over the season and basically eat it with anything and everything between the beginning of November and the end of February while they are in season. From latkes, to turkey, to roast salmon, to cheese sandwiches, to granola and yoghurt, to ice cream, to cake - if it’s on my plate or in my bowl it will have cranberry sauce somewhere in it or on the side.

1. Must-have kitchen tool or gadget?

A sharp knife and a cast iron pan. Oh and a piece of Mud to serve it on!

1. How is food and entertaining similar to architecture?

They are much more similar than you think. The success of any of them relies on building on strong foundations and not to start an endeavour without a plan and the finished product in mind. Then you get to layer the fun stuff of flavour or design, colour, texture.