Martha de Lacey
A self-confessed greedy wordsmith, Martha grew up in London and spent a decade working as a news and features journalist (with a one year interlude driving around South Africa writing a guidebook) before deciding she wanted to spend her time in the kitchen rather than the newsroom.
She launched a supperclub from her East London home - named Muffdining in honour of the childhood nickname ‘Muffy’ which she still hasn’t managed to shake entirely - and began doing stagiaire placements at iconic and Michelin-starred restaurants including St John, Lyles, Pidgin, Portland, Clipstone and Brunswick House.
Never one to take on one job when four will do, while cheffing in the deli of The Quality Chop House and writing for various news publications, brands and advertising agencies, Martha launched a catering company and began teaching people how to make sourdough from her home kitchen, something which came unsurprisingly naturally to someone whose favourite food has always been toast.
During the pandemic Martha used all the flour she had in her at-home bakehouse (read: most of the available flour in London) to bake free loaves of bread for vulnerable people and key workers, delivering them around the city on her bicycle, her miniature schnauzer Olive reading the satnav from inside the basket. She also moved all her sourdough teachings online, launching a subscription cookery school called The MuffKitchen and developing hundreds of recipes for thousands of members who all wanted to learn how to make the world’s best bread and what to do with all that damn leftover starter.
Martha believes delicious homemade bread should be available to all.
She lives in Margate with her boyfriend, daughter, stepson, and a cat named Owl.
Website: www.marthadelacey.com
Instagram: @marthadelacey
Substack: Right, So