Around the Table with Lauren McGrath

On caesar salad that tastes like home, Sunday roasts in England, and the beauty of a cheese and onion pasty

Hi, friends! Can we tell you something!? These interviews are SO fun to do. It’s easy for us to get stuck in our Spanish bubble—the food traditions, local customs, and ways of life have truly become second nature to both of us. So getting to read about someone’s else corner of the world and their own local ways of life is such a breath of fresh air. After reading this interview, we’re pretty sure a homemade caesar salad will be in order! - Katie & Meredith

P.S. Leave a comment! Let us know what you loved about this interview, and let’s get a conversation going <3

A little bit about Lauren

Originally from New Jersey, Lauren moved to the UK about seven years ago after marrying her British husband. She lived in London before moving to Yorkshire in 2021, shortly after starting a family. They’ve got two little boys, ages 5 and 2, which certainly keeps her busy. Apart from her Instagram account full of great content for expat moms, she also works from home full-time as an account manager at a U.S.-based company.

Cooking & food:

What do you typically eat for breakfast?
I usually just have some toast—incredibly boring, I know! But with the chaos of getting ready for the school run in the morning, I just like to grab whatever’s easiest. Plus, I’m never too hungry that early in the morning!

What’s the one kitchen utensil or tool you can’t live without?
My oven-safe, nonstick frying pan. I do a lot of one-pan meals during the week, so this thing gets used quite a bit.

What did your kids’ school serve for lunch today, or what did you pack them?
My son always takes a packed lunch, and it’s always the same—sausage rolls, fruit snacks, strawberries, chips, and usually a sweet treat. He’s quite the fussy eater, so I can never get him to try the school meals (which look delicious, by the way!)

What’s the most surprising thing about grocery shopping in England?
I think for me, it’s just the difference in variety—in America, there is so much more variety of things in grocery stores than here in England. I really miss my favorite American snacks—things like white cheddar popcorn and Snyder's Honey Mustard pretzels. And real American cheese!

What’s a food you’ve come to love that you’d never tried before moving to?
My guilty pleasure food—a cheese and onion pasty! It's flaky pastry filled with a mixture made of cheese, onion, and mashed potato. Obviously not very healthy but so tasty.

What’s your go-to meal when you don’t have time to cook?
A quick and easy pasta dish with oil, garlic, lemon, and spinach. So simple, but so good!

If you had to describe your cooking style in three words, what would they be?
Quick, rustic, tasty

What’s one “kitchen hack” you’ve learned since becoming a mom?
Using scissors to cut literally everything up for my kids.

What’s one food that you miss from the U.S. that you can’t find or recreate?
Pork roll (sometimes called taylor ham)—this is very specific to New Jersey, but it’s such a home comfort that I have yet to find anywhere! Pork roll, egg, and cheese on a roll—the best breakfast sandwich ever.

What’s your favorite place to go out to eat in Yorkshire?
We quite often go to the Farmhouse in Harrogate—the quality of their food is incredible, and we’ve never come away having had a bad experience. We usually go for brunch, and I always get their “all-american breakfast,” naturally ;).

Family & community:

What’s a local food custom or tradition that you’ve adopted into your own routine?
A Sunday roast. Often we’ll get together with my in-laws and go to the local pub for Sunday dinner. Depending on where you go, you can order any roast meat that you want, such as beef, gammon, or turkey. I always go for the roast turkey with all the trimmings—stuffing, roasted potatoes, loads of veg, and gravy. And cauliflower and cheese is a must for me, as well!

What’s your go-to meal or dish for hosting friends and family?
We don’t actually do a lot of hosting, to be honest. It’s something that I’d definitely like to do more of though. I’d probably do some type of family-style dinner as that’s what we did a lot of growing up. Like a big batch of pasta in the middle of the table along with a huge bowl of salad, bread, etc.

What’s the best food-related memory your family has made since moving to England?
My parents recently visited and honestly, it was cooking with my mom (or should I say letting her do the cooking ;)). She made my favorites like her famous chicken caesar salad, and it was like a taste of home. She always made it for us growing up. She makes the dressing from scratch, and it’s just delicious. It sounds simple, but it’s so tasty. We may have smelled like garlic for three days after with the amount she used, but honestly worth it!

How have you built a village where you are?
Going to local playgroups helped me massively. We don’t have a lot of family, so connecting with other moms with kids my age was vital—I made several close friendships when I started going to playgroups.

Just for fun:

What are you loving reading to/ listening to / watching right now?
We’re watching “The Traitors” right now—season three has started, and it has us hooked, as always!

Where else can we find you on the internet?
You can find me on Instagram and TikTok.

If you could only eat one cuisine or food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I could never get tired of Italian food!