Matilda Brown is a foodie entrepreneur and co-author of the newly released The Good Farm Cookbook, but her relationship with food hasn’t always been easy.
“I grew up a pretty curvy teenager and went on fad diet after fad diet to try and lose weight,” explains the daughter of actors Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward.
FOOD JOURNEY
“I had eating disorders all through my 20s, and it wasn’t until I met Scott [Gooding, her husband], who being a nutritionist and someone who is so into health, that I learned about nutrition and what my body needed,” Matilda, 37, shares with Woman’s Day from the couple’s family home in Sydney’s Whale Beach.
“And I learned to love food again because food was my enemy for so long.”
Chatting with Woman’s Day on the deck overlooking the ocean in their retro-styled fibro house, the couple say it was Matilda’s mum, actor Rachel Ward, 66, who inspired them to research the concept of regenerative farming while Scott was writing his cookbook The Sustainable Diet.
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The former My Kitchen Rules (MKR) contestant and chef, 48, has also launched The Good Farm Shop – a range of ready-meals made from regeneratively farmed animals and sustainably sourced ingredients.
Rachel has turned the family’s farm in Nambucca Heads into a fully fledged regenerative cattle farm. Matilda spent an idyllic childhood there, roaming the land, “spotting snakes, collecting eggs from the coop, and playing kick the can with the cousins and Dad.”
Struggling to find any local butchers who sold regenerative meat, the couple took matters into their own hands and started a cow-share directly from their farm, and from that The Good Farm Shop was born.
Initially a butchery, the shop has morphed into supplying a line of ethically sourced ready meals. Ensuring that each ingredient is farmed in a sustainable and humane way mirrors the way the couple want to live on the earth.
“These things really hone the importance of provenance of food to us,” says Scott.
FAMILY AFFAIR
The couple wrote their book together over nine months in between raising their children Tashi,15; Zan, 5; and Anouk, 3, with Scott handling the recipes while Matilda wrote the accompanying stories.
“We started with our bestsellers at The Good Farm Shop and let our minds wander into what we’re cooking week in, week out at home,” Scott says.
“Then with the recipes we say, ‘How do I make that mine? How do we make it gluten free? How do we ensure that the oils are anti-inflammatory?’” he says, revealing he looks at making it as healthy as possible.
While she no longer spends as much time in the kitchen, Matilda says she still enjoys creating meals for her loved ones, especially her kids. “They’re always up for helping out, but it’s mostly a hindrance,” she laughs.
“My eldest son Tashi is pretty handy in the kitchen and he’s quite meticulous,” says Scott. “He doesn’t cook like I would think a teenager would cook.”
While the kids are happy to help cook dinner, getting them to eat it can be a struggle. “It becomes a bit of a wrestling match between what they want to eat, which is something sweet, versus what we want them to eat, like protein and vegies,” admits Matilda.
While the recipes are largely inspired by the ones Scott’s parents used to cook in their pub in England, Matilda’s famous parents, actor Bryan, 77, and Rachel, have also written their favourite meals into the book.
“Dad loves the steak and chips with black olive butter, and while Mum loves all of Scott’s cooking, her favourite is the fish pie,” Matilda says.
To embrace provenance, Scott and Matilda say cut out the supermarkets. “Purchase directly from a farm and cut out the middleman.”
Grab your copy of The Good Farm Cookbook from BigW for $24 here.
