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Annoushka Ducas:
Hi, Annoushka here. In this series, I'd really like to take the opportunity to tell you a little bit
about
The Brilliant Breakfast, an initiative that I set up two years ago to help The Prince's Trust support
disadvantaged young women. It
really can be as simple as putting the kettle on and inviting a few friends around, or hosting a
breakfast for the team
at work and asking everyone to give what they can to help change a girl's life. So, that's
The Brilliant Breakfast,
starting October the 10th this year. For more details, visit thebrilliantbreakfast.co.uk. Thank you.
I'm Annoushka Ducas, and welcome back to
My Life in Seven Charms. For me, there are so few things
which can evoke a
memory like a tiny detailed
charm. In this new series, I'll be meeting seven extraordinary women,
and hearing their
stories, through this very special
18ct gold biography. The world of Michelin Star
Chefs in the UK has
traditionally been dominated by men. My guest today on,
My Life in Seven Charms, was one of the
first women to smash
that particular ceiling with her brand of simple, beautifully cooked, delicious food. Born of
Italian and Irish
parentage, she spent her early childhood learning to roll pasta with her beloved nonna. I can't wait
to talk to the
extraordinary Angela Hartnett, about your life in seven
charms.
Angela Hartnett:
Thank you.
Annoushka Ducas:
I'm slightly fascinated by the first one, because I've never had to do this before. But your first
charm is a
wooden chopping board.
Angela Hartnett:
Yes.
Annoushka Ducas:
Well, A, I love the idea of making this, because the simplicity of it is really appealing. So, I
thought, we'll obviously make... The center part will be wood, but I see it as all scored like it's
been used and really
loved. But framed by
yellow gold,
18ct yellow gold polished frame to hold the wood. I don't know
how big
your chopping board was, but this one is going to be quite small because it's going to be
charm-like.
Angela Hartnett:
Exactly. Yeah.
Annoushka Ducas:
Well, I mean it's such a humble object, this chopping board. So, why have you chosen a chopping
board
and why is it so precious to you?
Angela Hartnett:
I suppose a chopping board is something, whatever you do in a kitchen, you
use a chopping board. My
whole career has been based around food and working in kitchens. You mentioned earlier in the
introduction
about my grandmother, my nonna. That's one of the things I got from her when she died. My mom
and her two sisters and
brother, as they knew I cooked all the time with nonna and I was a chef, basically said you
should have all nonna's