A cook with a difference
Anna Jones initially qualified as an economist, but then changed direction to become a successful cook, food writer and blogger. Her cookbook ‘a modern way to eat’ is a bestseller. For our BORA Homestory we and photographer Issy Croker visited her in Wimbledon.
Anna Jones is easy going. “Perhaps a little hippie-like”, she laughs. Even when busy at the stove, she still chats enthusiastically about what she loves the most: cooking. She is naturally extremely experienced as she has written well over a thousand recipes. With her books published in seven countries and a highly successful weekly column in the Guardian, she is somewhat regarded as the voice of modern vegetarian cuisine. But this wasn’t the road she started out on at all. The Brit studied economics in Southampton and worked in the business sector. At some point, she read an article on how to find your true calling. And a simple test: ‘Where do you flick to first when opening a newspaper?’ To the food section. A flash of inspiration! She attended her first cookery course.
As a self-taught cook, Anna applied to Jamie Oliver with her university degree but little hope of success. And was actually taken on. She ended up working for his TV show for seven years. “It was great training for me: we had three kitchens and tried loads of different products, spices and dishes every day. It raised my awareness of healthy, high-quality products. The Brit loves simple, fresh food, especially vegetables. In her time with Jamie, she became a vegetarian.
Jamie Oliver had an enormous influence on Anna’s professional development. Eventually, Anna took the plunge and wrote her own cookbook. When this came out in the UK, she was given a column in the Guardian. Today, she is also a successful blogger. She creates her posts in collaboration with a photographer and stylist in a studio near London.
"When I saw BORA, I instantly knew I wanted one in my kitchen!”
Anna Jones
She likes to cook with her friend Melissa Helmsley, who has already worked with BORA to develop a 10 | 10 book on quick and healthy meals. “It was at Melissa’s that I first saw a BORA product – and absolutely loved it. I’d already spent time in so many kitchens that thought I’d seen it all.” And so, she started out meticulously inspecting the extractor: where does the steam go, how does it work and how do you clean it? “I found it really exciting. I like things to be clean. Hoods are often ineffective and look really bulky. And the fact that all the parts can go in the dishwasher is a dream come true. When I saw BORA, I instantly knew I wanted one in my kitchen!”
Anna and her husband do a lot of cooking in their free time, often with friends at weekends. The kitchen soon gets busy. “I love it. Everyone asks each other how they are doing things. We learn from one another and become a food family for an evening”.
The whole story can be found in BORA Magazine 01/2020.
Reduced, vivid, minimalist: The layout of BORA Magazine focuses on the elegance and high quality of BORA's kitchen exhaust air solutions. Detailed product overviews, technical details, reports on sponsorship and brand activities, as well as interviews with key people from BORA offer a comprehensive insight into this premium brand.
