Christelle Le Ru

My passion for food likely comes from growing up in France, a food-orientated country well-known for its gastronomy. Indeed, eating well is of prime importance to most French people who are great gourmets and arguably spend an incredible amount of time preparing and consuming food. Drawing inspiration from my mother, I soon took great pleasure myself in cooking and baking for my family and friends.

As some of you will know, I have a sweet tooth and baking appeals a lot to me. I delight in the fact that my desserts usually draw contented sighs from my guests and I have always enjoyed an occasional treat to finish off a meal. Check out my mouth-watering desserts cook books to see just how much! French Fare on the other hand is a collection of simple yet delicious recipes for starters, mains and desserts – it is ideal for people who are interested in French cuisine and are looking for easy recipes that do not require an endless list of special ingredients.

Since having my children my focus has changed slightly when it comes to cooking. Although my cooking style remains the same – fresh, approachable, with quick and delicious results guaranteed – I am very committed to ensuring that my children learn to eat a healthy and balanced diet from an early age. As every parent knows, preschoolers are notoriously picky, fussy eaters and it can be very hard to get them to eat nutritious food. This is why my latest book project involves creating plenty of yummy yet healthy recipes that littlies will love. FRESH START – Healthy Recipes and Food Tips for Parents of Preschoolers (to be released in September) will also give out plenty of nutritional information and useful mealtime’s tips for parents of young children. For more details, please follow this link.

Finally, eating is a pleasure and I believe cooking can be too. By learning how to use fresh ingredients to make healthy food that taste great, both you and your family will benefit. My books are here to help and I hope my recipes will inspire you. Bear in mind that when it comes to cooking, culinary creativity is the key – don’t be afraid to try new things.

Biography

I was born in St Nazaire, France, in 1975. I later moved to Rennes in Brittany to study electrical and software engineering, and graduated in 1997. After five years of working in France and the UK, my husband and I made up our minds to explore other parts of the world. One look at an atlas was enough for us to decide that New Zealand was everything we were looking for. They settled in Christchurch in November 2002 and became New Zealand citizens in 2006.

Mid-2008 I gave up her day job as a software engineer to fully focus on my small children, Noémie (1/09/2004), Éloïse (15/03/2006) and Yohann (7/05/2007), and food-writing. I write regular food columns for various newspapers and magazines and now produce my own food photography in addition to publishing award-winning cookbooks. An active woman, I also swim and bikes daily, and enjoy tramping, playing tennis, running and playing the piano.

I am lucky enough to have been working on my first three books with a top professional photographer and graphic designer, my friend Vanessa Jones. A great design and beautiful photographs are of primary importance in contemporary cook books and both are ensured by Vanessa's talent. I am now doing my own photography but Vanessa is still part of the team and will continue working on the creative design of my books.

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Charities

New Zealand is a beautiful country and I feel very privileged to have been able to make it my home. Everything we need, and also many things we don't need, are readily available. This is not so everywhere, and many people still live in deplorable conditions in various parts of the world.

The issue of lack of medication and starvation, especially when it comes to children, has always been close to my heart. It is even more so now that I have become a mum. Many charities do a wonderful job of reaching out to those in need and I am glad to be able to support a few of them.

Here are some links to the websites of the organizations I am involved with: World Vision, Guardian Angels and the Salvation Army. As an incentive, governments usually give a tax rebate on donations. In New Zealand you will be paid back a third of your total donations, up to a certain amount. No matter how little you give, you will make a difference to someone's life.

Every little bit helps!

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