Clementine Day’s delectable spreads and home-cooked meals were a bright light during lockdown. The Melbourne-based cook started her Instagram account Some Thing I Like To Cook during the first round of lockdown restrictions in March when her teaching work dried up and, suffice to say, she hasn’t looked back since!
Originally trained in fashion design (she’s worked at Monk House Design, Verner, Bul, Country Road and Alpha60!) and education, Clementine’s interest in food was only ever a hobby; a way to remember the big family gatherings of her childhood or experiment with her creativity in a low-stakes environment.
‘My cooking is a lot more freestyle than pattern making or sewing is, I don’t have to think too much about it and it’s a very therapeutic process for me,’ she says. ‘I like to think of it kind of like a dance session, just use your senses and move!’
This refreshing realness is potentially what has struck such a chord with her followers and the wider food community on Instagram. Shot all in her backyard and plated up to perfection in vessels from local makers like Soft Edge Studio and Ella Reweti, the food Clem cooks is both attainable and inspirational. (Who *wouldn’t* want a peaches and cream tart that looked like THAT?).
‘After almost nine months of lockdown in Melbourne I’d found myself daydreaming of a sunny long lunch in a friend’s backyard, cooking for everyone, enjoying wine and dancing to music,’ Clem remembers. So she decided to make a book based on exactly that concept.
‘Coming Together chronicles six long lunches, cooked in friends’ kitchens and enjoyed in their various outdoor areas,’ she explains. ‘My good friend, Mike Chambers put together some suggested wine pairings, he has a very lovely and approachable way of talking about wine. I also worked with each household to create a playlist to accompany their lunch.’
With sunny summer holidays just around the corner, there is no more perfect timing for a book like this!
Pre-orders for ‘Coming Together’ are open now for ONLY TWO WEEKS (that’s it, there won’t be any more!) from November 27th – December 10th. See more here.
A whole roasted cauliflower and nectarine salad (in an Ella Reweti dish). Photo – Clementine Day.
Clem serving up some dishes in a very familiar setting – her backyard! Photo – Clementine Day.
A very enviable dining setup! All Clem’s food presented in ceramics by Soft Edge Studio. Photo – Clementine Day.
Avocado dip in an Ella Reweti dish. Photo – Clementine Day.
The food and servingware are on par! A fresh mandarin dessert presented in a bowl by Soft Edge Studio. Photo – Clementine Day.
A spread of salads in dishes by Soft Edge Studio and Ella Reweti. Photo – Clementine Day.
Is there anything better than peaches and cream tart? Served on a platter by Soft Edge Studio. Photo – Clementine Day.
A slice of rhubarb cake. Photo – Clementine Day.
Pre-orders for Clementine’s book are open now, and only running for two weeks. Get in quick! Photo – Clementine Day.
