Balancing the joy of cooking with the pleasure of eating is equally important to British food writer and television personality Nigella Lawson.
Since How To Eat was published in 1998, the author - now internationally recognised simply as Nigella - has tried to present cooking in an uncomplicated way, while also finding the art in food.
Her latest book, Simply Nigella, was published last year and continues this trend with a collection of feel-good food.
Lawson said all her books were inspired by how she was cooking at that time in her life. It was the same with Simply Nigella - she would jot down recipes and develop them from there.
‘‘I suppose a lot of it was just about thinking about how different days really demanded different cooking, and looking at the way in which I can cook year-round in my home.''
She said she looked at cooking in a ‘‘pared-back way'', because often there wasn't a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. But at the same time she didn't want to compromise on flavour.
‘‘So it's really thinking what are the essentials ... the essential spices and ways I can get the most flavour really.''
This was the theme of one of the chapters in her latest book, she said.
‘‘I've got a whole chapter called Quick and Calm because I want to cook fast ... [but] I don't want it to be frenetic.''
To Lawson, eating well means not just getting pleasure at the table, but also while cooking. She wanted to enjoy the process and feel good after eating.
‘‘So I suppose it's that whole package. And for me that's sort of a very simple attitude, but it makes life ... the way it should be.''
Lawson said while she minded what she ate, she also wanted to get every bit of pleasure out of the contemplation, cooking and eating of her food as possible.
‘‘That's true of food, but it's true of life and I think, in some way, there's a simplicity in cooking which means - in the sort of cooking I do - that you have to adjust the focus, which I find a very good way of unwinding,'' she said.
‘‘I feel that so much of life is so much better when you dwell on the present moment and I [see] cooking as a great means to achieve that. As I say, it's about simplicity, but that simplicity has a lot of resonance.''
Travelling and sampling local food also provided inspiration, Lawson said. She lived in Italy for a while when she was younger and had always been very fond of Italian food.
More recently, she travelled to Thailand, which she also found ‘‘very inspirational''.
‘‘There are a lot of Thai flavours in the book.''
One of the desserts she has developed many times over the years is a Kiwi favourite - the pavlova.
‘‘I just think the pavlova is kind of the perfect creation because you have that wonderful mixture.''
The meringue, crisp exterior and marshmallowy centre, balanced with soft whipped cream and fragrant fruit, balanced to create ‘‘a celestial lightness'', she said.
‘‘I don't think it can be bettered as a dessert.''
Also the face of a recent Whittakers campaign in New Zealand, Lawson said another sweet treat - chocolate - should not be seen as a guilty pleasure in the kitchen.
‘‘I see it as a deep pleasure, but never a guilty pleasure. I feel that in life the only thing you should feel guilty about, in this respect, is not taking pleasure.
‘‘If you're going to persecute yourself about it, then you're taking away all the joy. And I think, for me, it's about savouring the joy and the pleasure, not fretting over it and ruining it.''
