Heaps Good takes 6 with East London based Pastry Chef Jemima O’Brien to find out what’s sweet in her London life.
1) You’ve be living in London for a while now, what keeps you here when you could be easily enjoying those lovely lamingtons back in Australia?
The lifestyle and there is always something fun to do. Also living with my best friends in the sickest house in Bethnal Green.
2) Do Australians and British folk have the same taste is cakes? What’s it like working as a baker here in London as opposed to Australia?
Fairly similar, perhaps heavier kinds of food, probably because it can get so damn cold here. This is my first full job as a pastry chef. I am trained in savory but have always enjoyed baking rather than touching pork swords. I got to make Josh Homme’s birthday cake and a ‘Josh’ gingerbread man for him, that would have never happened in Australia.
3) Have you always wanted to bake? When you were young did you hold tea parties with your teddy bears?
I never really wanted to do anything else but cook, nothing at university really appealed to me. I should have held more tea parties but I had an older sister so I only ever played the games she wanted to play!
4) You’re on death row, you’ve had you last meal and are about to start your desert, it’s a cake (of course). Tell us what is it?
Lemon meringue pie covered in glitter
5) Eating cakes all day, do you have many cavities?
I have a terrible sweet tooth, so it’s lucky my dad is a dentist! I worry more about the size of my waist.
6) You’ve graciously going to bake us a moustache shaped cake for our Mo Good party. What flavour/color are you thinking will work best?
Hmmm I’m not telling… everyone will have to attend the party to see how it turns out!
