Christelle

Bio...(and recent family photos opposite)

I was born on 10/03/1975 in a small seaside town in the north-west of France and more or less grew up running on the beach, or rather sea-swimming for half of the year. In fact, in summer you are still most likely to find me in my swimming togs with damp hair (even though sadly enough my swimming now mostly takes place in a pool). I moved to Brittany when I was 17 to study electrical and software engineering, and graduated in 1997. In 1998 I moved to the UK with my soon-to-be husband and four years later we made up our minds to explore another part of the world. One look at an atlas was enough for us to decide that New Zealand was everything we were looking for. We settled in Christchurch in 2002, became New Zealand citizens in 2006 and have since moved to Oxford, a small country town nestled at the base of the Oxford foothills, 40 minutes west of Christchurch.

We had our four adorable children, Noémie (01/09/2004), Éloïse (15/03/2006), Yohann (7/05/2007) and Émeric (15/03/2009), in just four and a half years. This has been demanding and mid-2008 I gave up my day job as a software engineer to fully focus on them, as well as on my food-writing. I now write regular food columns for various newspapers and magazines and produce my own food photography. After self-publishing four award-winning cookbooks and selling the translation rights to some of these books, I signed a publishing contract with HarperCollins, one of the largest English-language publishers in the world. I also work as a freelance translator, specializing in technical translations.

I have a passion for swimming (and swim a few kilometers everyday which hopefully makes up for my daily consumption of chocolate) and love playing the piano. I also enjoy biking, reading, watching movies, playing tennis and tramping.

From software engineer to foodie...

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 mum, 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 and chocolate 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 committed to encouraging my children to eat a healthy and balanced diet. 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 in FRESH START – Healthy Recipes and Food Tips for Parents of Preschoolers I created plenty of yummy yet healthy recipes that littlies will love and gave 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, creativity is the key – don’t be afraid to try new things.

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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 have been 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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