Inside… Trisha Lewis AKA Trisha’s Transformation’s kitchen, pantry, and foodie mindset

Chef, author, transformer and entrepreneur, Trisha Lewis wears many hats, and her 226 thousand strong Instagram followers speak to her ability to keep an audience interested with candid conversations and incredible mealtime inspiration.

A woman on a mission to change her life, Trisha has been sharing her weight loss journey online for years, and in the process managed to create her own knife company, write two bestselling cookbooks, and launch her very own cookery course.

Here, we caught up with the woman herself to get the lowdown on her happy place: the kitchen. From her ideal dinner party (James Kavanagh, Beyoncé, and Marco Pierre White all round one table?!), to some top tips and tricks, read our interview below…

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What is your favourite thing about being in the kitchen?

My most favourite thing about being in the kitchen is I’m at my happiest, I’m in my most creative zone. I find it very relaxing and very therapeutic, and I love that from simple ingredients you can create ten or twelve different dishes and everything can be different.

What does your kitchen space represent to you? Is it best utilised for social entertaining, or is it your space for mindful preparation?

The kitchen space for me represents two things. Number one, it represents work and creativity, but it also represents community. I come from a large family of eight sisters, and when everybody gathers around the kitchen table trying different dishes, that, to me, is one of my most happy places.

What are some absolute essential appliances and products every kitchen should have?

The basics for me would definitely have to be a good set of kitchen knives. Now thankfully, I launched my own company in April with Sharp by Trisha Lewis and these knives are available on my website now, but they’re very important because when it comes to prepping and getting your stuff organised a sharp knife will actually save you a lot of time and it just gives you a more precise cut. Also, you cannot beat a good non-stick pan and a very good chopping board. Whenever you’re chopping anything, the most important thing is to make sure that you’ve got a damp cloth underneath the board so that it stops it from slipping, and it’s much more safe.

What are your most-used pantry items?

My most used pantry items would definitely be spices. I love paprika, cumin, turmeric, chilli flakes, salt, pepper — all of the essential spices that can be found in any household. If you’ve got a good stock of passata, chopped tomatoes and a selection of beans, you’ll be able to put up any one pot wonder when you come home in the evening.

Having worked in kitchens for 20 years and having studied professional cookery, what are some expert tips you can share with us?

Kitchen hacks, I think that there’s probably a dime a dozen. Everybody has their old wives’ tales, but some simple things, I think my best storage tip is to make sure you decant everything, so that you can see things and it’s all just a lot easier. Another hack is to constantly be doing a stocktake. It doesn’t have to be in a professional kitchen to do this, but just before you do your shopping, have a quick look in the press and see what you need, what you don’t need. When you’re freezing stuff, make sure you freeze things as flat as possible, and if you are using cling film, make sure it’s airtight, because often people will use too much and they don’t actually use it as efficiently as they should. Nice and tight and away you go.

Do you listen to music while you cook?

In general, no, but I do love having a podcast on in the background or some cooking videos on YouTube. I find them incredibly therapeutic and you can get so much inspiration from other chefs in the industry — it’s a great way to pick up tips and tricks as you go.

What are some easy healthy substitutes to have on hand?

It really does depend on the dish you’re making. FryLite is brilliant if you’re trying to seal the pan, some Hellmann’s Lighter Than Light mayonnaise is a good substitute for the full fat version, cream cheese instead of butter, brown bread instead of white bread. I’m not necessarily saying that they’re healthier, but they’ll give you less calories which, if you’re on a calorie budget like myself, every calorie counts.

Breakfast, lunch or dinner – what’s your favourite mealtime and why?

Breakfast is just one of my favourite things, because I’m so hungry when I wake up, I’m just like yay! Something like oats with peanut butter and berries or even something high protein like turkey sausages and lovely scrambled eggs. Then, dinner is a really wholesome meal, and you can really make it vary. For me, there’s nothing better than a good stir fry, curry or satay, or even a deliciously wholesome stew to finish off your evening. I find lunch the trickiest because I’ll often be out and about and it becomes very repetitive. A wrap will do, with a little bowl of soup!

How has falling in love with cooking/food helped you in your own self-esteem journey?

I think when it comes to my own self esteem journey, because I’m on a weight loss journey, one of my biggest ethoses is that I can lose weight, but I don’t necessarily need to lose flavour. What I find when you’re on a calorie deficit, because you’re obviously not having as much food as you were before, I actually fell in love with cooking that little bit more because it’s more mindful, and I appreciate each meal a lot more.

What is your go-to dinner to make for loved ones?

With my family, they love anything to do with onions and spice and garlic. So if it’s something like a creamy chicken and mushroom carbonara, there’ll be loads and loads of garlic, lashings of parmesan, and some crusty garlic bread. It’s always a winner!

Who would your dream dinner party guests be? (Dead or alive!)

This is so tricky! I would probably have James Kavanagh, because I think he’s an absolute legend, and I really feel that he would appreciate every detail of the plate. Secondly, mam. Thirdly, probably Beyoncé. Fourth, I’m going to go with Anthony Bourdain. Fifth, I’m going to have to go with a critic chef, so someone like Marco Pierre White and lastly, just for pure indulgence, it would have to be Will Smith.

What does confidence mean to you?

I think that confidence, to me, means that I’m sure of myself, and that I know what I’m able to do. And I’m also know what I’m not able to do. But I’m confident that I will get there. I think that it’s not an arrogant thing, but I feel that maybe I’ll just, I’m realistic and I know that I’m secure in myself. And I know that what’s for me won’t pass me. And what I’m not able to do now by God, I will make sure that I put the steps into place to get there. And confidence for me is to look at myself in the mirror and to love who I am. And to not put my value on the scales anymore. It’s just that I’m clear in my ability and I’m clear on my journey.

Trisha Lewis has partnered with The Dove Self-Esteem Project to help the next generation in Ireland develop a positive relationship with how they look. The project aims to arm the next generation with the tools they need to grow up enjoying a positive relationship with the way they look. Resources are available for teachers, parents, mentors, and youth leaders across Ireland. To download the tools, click here.