In the Kitchen with Lucy Mansfield

Hey Foodies, we're excited to bring back one of our favourite segments where we get the chance to catch up with some of Australia's most creative individuals over delicious eats.

This week, we were lucky enough to meet designer and creative, Lucy Mansfield to talk about passion projects, ways to stay creative in the kitchen and how to make her Smoked Salmon & Everything Bagel Tartine. 

Hi Lucy, it's so great to meet you! For the Foodies who might be reading about you for the first time - would you like to share a bit about yourself? 

Hello, I'm Lucy! I'm a foodie and content creator based in Brisbane. I also run my own website design studio, working with small businesses across Australia. 

Over the past year, I've combined my two loves, food and design, and started creating food content online. I share recipes that are simple, full of flavour and absolutely doable, even on a busy weeknight. I also love filming a cheeky food review (any excuse to try a new restaurant). 

My love for food started young, sitting at the kitchen bench watching my mum cook the most delicious meals. She's definitely one of those cooks who doesn't need a recipe of measurements, and somehow everything just tastes amazing. She's a huge reason I fell in love with cooking. 

We love that! So nice to have a role model to look up to for inspiration. Now, what is it that you love most about cooking at home? Is it the process, the creativity, the end result, or a mix of everything? 

[Ooh] good question! I find cooking so relaxing 

I especially love a cosy slow cooked meal, when you can let the ingredients simmer away over a few hours, and hardly touch it. 

Though, one of my favourite things about cooking is how it brings people together. I have so many memories with family and friends around the kitchen, chatting, picking at things, helping out (or pretending to). 

The end result is definitely a plus too! 

We completely agree! Cooking truly brings people together, hey? Okay, switching gears to our favourite topic - bread! What is it about baking that keeps you coming back? We'd love to know your go-to loaf and we have to ask...any memorable bread fails along the way? 

Outdoor Boys actually started my bread making journey after a weekend camping and trying his honey butter bread (thanks, Luke!). It felt like a little science experiment. I decided to make my own starter, and that led me to the sourdough I bake today. 

I'm still on my sourdough journey, learning something new with every loaf. So honestly, my go- to is just a classic white sourdough - can't go wrong! 

As for memorable bread fails...I've had my fair share of failed frisbee loaves. One of my worst was on a Brisbane summer day what I left the dough to bulk ferment for (way) too long. The heat sped everything up, the gluten structure collapsed, and I was left with a bowl of sticky slop. I tried to salvage it as focaccia, but even that didn't work [haha]. 

Ah, yes...the dreaded frisbee loaf, we've had a fair share of those at Crumble HQ. Now, if you were hosting your dream dinner party, what would be on the menu? Take us through the whole experience: started, main, dessert and of course - your drink of choice! 

Okay, I'm [so] excited for this one! I'm a big fan of Asian flavours, so they'd definitely be the star of my dinner party menu. 

Starter: Salmon sashimi with fresh wasabi, soy sauce and pickled ginger. 

Main: Lanzhou beef noodles (I love a big bowl of noodle soup)

Dessert: Chocolate lava cake with raspberries 

Drink: Ginger kombucha, plus some iced cold water 

Invite to your next dinner party, please? [Haha] We're inspired by that line up and speaking of inspiration - where do you usually find yours when it comes to picking what to make for content? 

When I'm cooking and creating content, my inspiration usually comes from whatever I've been craving that week, and what's already in my pantry!

I also get a lot of inspiration from other incredible food creators online. I'm always saving their recipes, especially when I'm planning my weekly meals. I love trying new dishes and sharing the process. 

For me, it's not always about creating something completely new from scratch, I love sharing the joy of cooking and just eating delicious food. 

We love that - especially using what you already have at home, it really forces you into being creative! In terms of kitchen tools, what are some must-haves you swear by? 

I love cute cookware (hence my love for Crumble). There's just something about having pretty pieces in the kitchen that makes cooking even more fun!

One thing I think every kitchen needs is a good Dutch Oven. They're so versatile, perfect for slow cooked meals, roasts, or baking. I especially love my Pumpkin Casserole from Crumble. I've made endless curries and beef casseroles in it, and it just looks SO cute sitting on the stovetop. 

If you want to get into baking, I'd highly recommend purchasing a digital kitchen scale. They give you super accurate measurements, which could make or bread your baking! 

But honestly, you don't need a huge collection to get started. A few solid basics are more than enough, and you can slowly add to your kitchen as you figure out what kind of cooking you love most. 

We couldn't agree more - as they say, quality over quantity. We're also grateful for the love for our Pumpkin Casserole and we have to ask - what has your experience been like using Crumble Cookware? 

Oh, I LOVE Crumble Cookware!

I actually asked for two Crumble pieces for my birthday last year and was so excited when I opened them. I've used them endlessly since, and they're both still as good as the day I got them. 

One moment that stands out was last November, after I had all four of my wisdom teeth out (not fun). The first proper meal I ate was a Lentil & Sweet Potato Curry from my lovely friend @sebi.nutrition, cooked in my Pumpkin Casserole. After days of eating basically nothing, I was so excited to get back in the kitchen to cook something warm and nourishing in my cookware and it tasted exceptionally good knowing it came out of something cute too. 

Thanks for sharing, Lucy! We definitely need to give that recipe a go. Now, last few questions before we wrap up - what is one piece of advice you would give to someone who wants to cook more at home, but doesn't know where to start? 

I'd say...dust off your cookbooks and just give it a go! 

Cooking is one of those things you just get better at the more you do it, so don't overthink it! Just start and see how you go. Watching cooking content can be super helpful too, especially for visual learners. Set aside an hour or so, follow a recipe, take your time and try not to stress - cooking is meant to be fun! 

And if I could add one more tip - I would try practicing mise en place. It sounds a bit fancy, but if just means "everything is in place". So, chop your veggies, measure out your ingredients, and get your equipment ready before you start cooking, it makes the whole process so much easier. 

Such a beautiful piece of knowledge to share, it's always great to be prepared and also makes the clean-up that much easier. And now for one of our favourite questions - do you have a current favourite recipe that you would love to share with our foodie community? 

[Hmm] I think it would have to be my Smoked Salmon & Everything Bagel Tartine! This one combines my obsession with sourdough and fresh, punchy flavours.