Sophie Kooks Month by Month: June

June screams strawberries and cream - synonymous with Wimbledon, of course. During the school holidays, I played tennis every day with my mum; and we still joke about how many years it took her to part with that old-fashioned, wooden racket of hers! These days I'm still glued to the tennis at the end of June. It's my ritual to perch myself on the sofa and watch match after match, while indulging in a summery strawberry dessert. Some of the desserts in this chapter contain strawberries; and every recipe in this chapter is as easy as it is irresistible... Enjoy gorgeous June recipes including: Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce, Roast Stuffed Mushrooms with Cherry Tomatoes, Plaice Parcels with Parsley Butter, and Avocado and Tomato Salad, Roast Salmon Salad with Broad Beans, Peppers and Avocado, Mini Strawberry Cheese cakes, Roast Asparagus and Tomatoes with Baked Potatoes, Caramel, Peach and Almond Cake, Strawberry Shortbread Stacks.

Sophie Morris is owner of the innovative and exciting young Irish food company Kooky Dough. Started in her kitchen and initially selling at farmers' markets in Dublin, Sophie and her business partner, Graham Clarke, famously turned down the dragons on RTÉ 's Dragons' Den to build their food business their own way. Kooky Dough is now stocked in supermarkets and premium independent retailers in Ireland; in Waitrose in the UK; in Monoprix in France; and in Spinneys in the United Arab Emirates. Kooky Dough and Sophie have received extensive recognition for the quality of their product by winning numerous Blas na hÉ ireann food awards in Ireland, and Gold in the UK's Great Taste Awards 2011.
With an MSc distinction in Economics along with a degree in Economics and Social Studies from Trinity College Dublin, Sophie enjoyed the challenge of academia and was always drawn to business-oriented subjects. However, away from the lecture halls Sophie developed an intense passion for food, not only in the eating but in the therapy of preparing and cooking. She completed an Italian cookery course in Rome in 2007, and after university she completed the 12-week Ballymaloe cookery course to develop her culinary skills further. Her experience at Ballymaloe only heightened her love for food and it was here that she developed the ambition to have her own food business.
Cooking simple, feelgood food is what Sophie loves to do in her precious free time; it helps her to relax and escape from work. She hopes this book will help you to do the same.