Her recipe books are iconic and she is Australia’s favourite cook, but now Donna Hay is in the UK to share her passion for food with a place she considers her ‘second home’.

With a new book under way, themed on an ultra-fast approach to weeknight meals and inspired by today’s ready-made meal culture, she is hoping it will become a UK success.

“The only way to remedy fast food and health issues in an environment where time is of the essence is to teach people really fast and simple recipes to cook at home,” she says. “Cooking is not just a life style, it’s a life essential.”

Hay says the average time Londoners spend cooking a meal is around 17 to19 minutes, “that’s the challenge I face”. The solution lies in keeping things simple, and that is what Hay is known for. So simple in fact that “anyone can do it”.

“If you can read, you can cook. It is like anything really. I can’t knit, but I am sure if I sat down and had a go at it a few times, I would be able to do it. It is the same with cooking. Keep trying and once you have one good recipe under your belt and some confidence, you’re away.”

Her ‘simple’ food philosophy extends from her recipes right through to the presentation of her cookbooks, which she says are straightforward and to the point.

“We don’t write ‘sauté the onions’ we write ‘cook the onions’. That is easy enough for everyone to understand.”

Hay’s interest in food began at a young age, nurtured by her mother who always encouraged her in the kitchen. While generally more mess was created than edible meals, Hay says, this freedom to experiment with food as a child helped shape her passion for cooking.

“I clearly remember making my dad Steak Diane for his birthday. It probably tasted like rubber, but it was something I was able to create on my own. I was only about eight or nine and very proud.”

As a child, Hay cultivated her love for culinary prowess with the cookbook Let’s Learn to Cook. This led to her pursuing a career as a freelance food stylist after which she became food editor of Australian Marie Claire magazine. Donna wrote her first cookbook, The New Cook, in 1995. It was an instant success and captured the philosophy of ‘special made simple’, a theme she has continued to replicate through all aspects of her culinary career.

Over the years Hay has written more recipes than she can count but is never short of ideas, which she says stem from what she sees around her. "The smallest thing can spark a fresh thought."

“I might see a bunch of cinnamon sticks and an idea just comes to me. I have two books in my handbag for drawing and writing, to keep track of the random thoughts I get.”

Hay’s international career continues to develop and her recent visit to London was specifically to launch her new food and homewares range, aimed at taking the stress out of home baking and entertaining.

“Like everything I have taken on in my career, I didn’t set apart that I was going to do this – it just sort of happened and it’s all very exciting.”

Hay's new range features a special collection of food and homewares, destined to make cooking this Christmas, or any time of year, simple. Some of the products in her new range include:

The Christmas essentials collection - £20: this pack contains everything you need to share the Christmas spirit. Including two cookie cutters,non pareils and sparkling sugar for makingdelicious frosted treats and edible decorations. The simple essentials Christmas cookbook has fresh, simple recipes with menu planners for no-fuss entertaining, as well as stylish decorating tips

The chocolate essentials - £20: this pack contains everything you need to spoil the chocoholic in your life. There’s a bar of milk chocolate hazelnut crush to nibble on while you create the perfect treat using quality cooking chocolate and one of 60 sweet offerings in the simple essentials chocolate cookbook. To make preparing the biscuits, slices, desserts and cakes even easier there’s a spoonula for mixing and spooning with one utensil.

Chocolate cupcake essentials - £15: the secret to cupcake success is contained within this one convenient package. The mix couldn’t be easier to prepare and the pack contains everything you need to create perfect cupcakes every time, including white non pareils and red sprinkles to add finishing flourishes. Colourful ticking papers will also ensure your cakes will look as good as they taste.

These and other products are available from Sainsbury’s stores throughout the country.

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