We sat down with the lovely Ruby of By Ruby to chat all things food, fashion and Friends! And Ruby gave us a special discount to use when you buy some of her yumminess at ByRuby.com. Enter DOTTY20 at checkout.... 

Q: At what age did you become so passionate about cooking? 

I actually can't remember the exact age, but my mum was a single parent and really hated cooking, so I started taking over from when I was about 12. However, my dad is a great cook so we would always cook together when I was staying at his house. 

I did my work experience in a restaurant and bakery around the same age and quickly realised how much I loved cooking, so decided to take lessons for children until I finally started working as a KP in a restaurant when I was 16 and still at college. By this point I was fully committed and couldn’t imagine doing anything else, so instead of going to university I went to Leiths cooking school at 19, and have been working professionally within the food industry ever since. 

Q: Did you always aspire to become a professional chef and start your own business?

I always aspired to become a chef, and I have always been very determined, so I knew I would push myself and try my best at whatever I did. I never let myself believe starting my own business could be a possibility until I met Milly, my now business partner. She really believed in the concept and in me, and without her starting ByRuby wouldn't never have been possible.

Q: How has Covid 19 affected the business? 

Yes, we were lucky in the fact that we were providing food direct to the consumer at a time when people really needed it, so that part of the business actually really grew a lot quicker than we could have predicted. In fact, we saw around 200% increase in sales! So it was a quick upscale and lots of long hard working days and nights, but we managed to continue to operate and grow in that time, and it’s been non-stop since!

Q: How important is it for you that your meals are made up of freshly made and organic ingredients? 

So important! Eating carefully sourced meat, fish and dairy products is paramount to Milly and I. We both eat that way at home and it's key to our ethos as people as well as our business. We feel that if you are going to eat meat or fish that it should be from the best sources and farms and should always be British. We have great relationships directly with the farms so we know exactly where all our beef, pork, chicken and fish come from. This will always be at the forefront of what we do. 

Q: What is your favourite type of cuisine? 

I love Indian and Italian cuisine. 

Q: who is your biggest celebrity chef inspiration? 

I love Anthony Bourdain as a character, but I also get inspired by lots of chefs such as Anna Jones, Jamie Oliver and Rick Stein. 

Q: Do you prefer puddings or starters? 

Puddings!!  

Q: Do you have any pet peeves when it comes to working in the kitchen? 

Wastage! I hate waste, which is another reason we make frozen meals. They have a much longer shelf life and it means we have very little or no waste which is brilliant. If we do end up having any surplus meals, we donate them to an amazing charity called City Harvest, who then distribute the meals to 350+ charities and people in need across London. 

Q: Do you have a favourite item of clothing to wear in the kitchen? (aside from dungarees of course!) 

Comfortable clothes and hair in a top knot. 

Quick Fire:

Pizza or Pasta?

pasta 

Jamie Oliver or Nigella?

Jamie oliver 

The Great British Bake Off or The Great British Sewing Bee? 

Bake off

Ross or Rachel? 

Rachel 

Spots or stripes? 

Stripes 

Dungarees or Dress?

Dungarees 

Beach or skiing? 

Beach 

Eat in or eat out? 

Eat out 

Mojito or rosé?

Mojito 

Fancy dress or black tie? 

Fancy dress

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Head over to By Ruby for your 20% off her delicious meals and more!