Violet Sessions Violet Sessions

“My best work is done when I’m hungry”

In the 25th Violet Session, a thanksgiving special, I’m live from Allpress Roastery with Alison Roman; cook, writer and author of the best-selling cookbook Dining In: Highly Cookable Recipes. A columnist for the New York Times and contributor at Bon Appetit Magazine, her second cookbook, Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over was released October 2019. Originally from Los Angeles, she currently resides in Brooklyn.

In this episode we discuss the ins and outs of having people over. Do you ask your guests to bring a plate or help you chop, and what are the rules of guests washing up? Alison tells me "the closer you are to me, the harder you have to work".

“Red lipstick is the number one rule in life.”

In the 24th Violet Session, a mothers day special, I sit down with Lulu Guinness who founded her eponymous fashion business in 1989 and gained worldwide recognition for her bold designs and attitude. Lulu was awarded an OBE for her services to the fashion industry in 2006 and now with flagship stores in many corners of the world has become a household name. In this episode we discuss the importance of being “savvy” in business, the necessity of bravery and confidence in the beginning, and the challenges of raising children while simultaneously building a successful brand. We discuss what being a “creative” used to mean and the ever-evolving meaning of the word today. Lulu tells me she can do one thing at a time, so we talk and then we eat; or rather dive straight into a cream filled Victoria sponge.

"We care about each other’s lives and it is a different relationship, it is really beautiful.”

In this episode I sit down with Marta Bahillo of babaà knitwear and talk about the importance of forging strong relationships with both suppliers and customers, working with integrity and “doing business with an open heart”. Originally from Madrid, Marta studied Fashion and Textile Design in Dublin, Ireland. After graduating, and with a particular passion for knitwear and natural textiles, Marta moved to Argentina to design womenswear for a major fashion house before returning to Spain and founding babaà in 2012.

“Inspiration, for me, comes in lots of different forms, and sometimes that’s getting dinner on the table in twenty minutes.”
In this episode I sit down with cook, food writer, stylist, vegetable pioneer and fellow ‘Wing Mom’, Anna Jones to talk about it all. We discuss the delicate balance of juggling motherhood with our careers, our shared love of farmers' markets and the importance of simplicity, ease and approachability in the recipes we write and the food we make.

Claire Ptak of Violet Bakery talks to Ruthie Rogers, MBE, Michelin star Chef and co-founder of The River Cafe about never hiring a pastry chef and conceiving the idea for her world renowned restaurant in McDonalds.

For our 20th Violet Sessions episode I have switched things up a little.

I have new intro music by one of my favourite bands, Woman’s Hour (such a great name for a band) and I’m now doing the podcast solo as my ex co-host Danielle Radojcin moves on to focus on her family and other ventures. The pods will have a slightly new focus as well. I am still talking to inspirational, creative, professional women, but we are opening up together and talking about food, lifestyle and how we live today. The podcast has always been a place for me to get out of the kitchen and into the hearts and minds of all the amazing women that I meet because of Violet.

I’d love to hear from you about the podcast and who you’d like to hear me talk to! Thanks and happy listening xx

‘If you put a nice olive oil on the table, salt, pepper… It’s fun to see how people actually season their food.’
In this episode, Nadine Levy Redzepi, an enthusiastic home cook and mother of three daughters, sits down with Claire Ptak to talk about her first book Downtime: Deliciousness at Home, cooking at home with her family, and what it is like having spent most of her adult life working with her husband René Redzepi, chef-patron of the multi-award-winning restaurant Noma.