food/drink
pic: JONATHAN STONEHOUSE
GET SERVED
EASY AS PIE
Cardiff pie-maker
Marika Gauci tells
Heather Arnold about
her new recipe book:
The Little Book Of Pies.
“I guess my love of the humble pie came from
my mum’s stewed beef and onion pie, that was one
of my favourite family meals growing up.”
Marika Gauci is a sucker for a slice of pie. Though
she spent many years working in the music
industry, Gauci set up the only pie-making class
in London in 2009.
“I started the school by accident,” explains
Marika who started teaching home Greek and
Mediterranean cookery after being a professional
chef for just a year. “When planning classes I
thought ‘what would be a fun British class?’ As I
had covered my Mediterranean side, I instantly
thought ‘pies!’ and was shocked that it was so
popular.”
Marika grew up in Cardiff as the daughter of a
Greek father and Welsh mother, and baking had
always been a big part of her upbringing:
“The Welsh have always been amazing bakers,”
she says “As kids we were always lucky to have
fresh baked scones, Welsh cakes, Victoria sponges
and pies when we got home from school.”
For the last five years Marika’s pie passion has
become stronger and stronger as her lessons have
become more popular. Now she is branching out
into the world of literature with The Little Book
Of Pies.
“It has 30 recipes; I think that’s enough, it’s all
the pies you ever need to make in one lifetime!”
she explains “I have re-worked some classics, and
then there are some Mediterranean-inspired pies,
and my own pies you won’t find anywhere else.”
But has she kept any secret family