Lucy Kennedy is always on the go. When we catch up with her, she’s just finished up her radio show with Colm Hayes on Classic Hits.
She’ll be heading home to prepare for her three children coming home from school. Then she’ll be researching for her TV shows – Lucy Investigates and Living with Lucy. Yes, both shows are en route and we couldn’t be more excited.
She’s also brushing up on her cookery skills, admitting that she’s not been the best cook. “I stood in a kitchen every day on TV for three years with Martin King and watched chefs cook. But I didn’t learn a thing,” she tells us with a laugh.
But she’s a “massive foodie”, so mealtimes are very important to her. Especially with her children.
Hey Lucy, you’re a busy woman this morning!
A woman on the move as always!
One thing you always make time for is mealtimes with your family, however!
This is one thing I insist on. And it’s probably the only thing I insist on and get away with. Eating dinner is really important for me. It’s when you can check in and when you can really talk. If anything is wrong at school, if anyone’s sad, if anyone’s happy, it all comes out around the dinner table. That’s my thing, no matter what! Even myself if I’m not in the mood or I’m tired, I will make sure to sit around the dinner table. It’s definitely where people talk, especially for children. You really get their real feelings. Once one starts, they all start. And I know it’s hard, especially with teenagers and parents who work late, but when you can it’s important to sit down at the same table.
So would you say you’re a good chef?
Oh no! That’s why I love HelloFresh. You pick your recipes and they’re so easy to follow, step-by-step meal cards. I’ve mastered three sauces that I will use forever in my meals going forward. It’s also a great way to include your children in cooking. My son has learned that he loves cooking because we’ve all got involved in making the HelloFresh meals. There’s no food waste either because you are sent the exact ingredients and everyone eats it because they’ve picked the recipes themselves.
We love that you get your children involved in dinner. Your eldest is 14 and your youngest is seven, what is it like parenting teens versus little ones?
It’s full-on. I 110 per cent adore being a mam, but at times it can be very overwhelming. My son is 14 and my girls are 12 and seven, so three very different personalities. They all need me in very different ways. And they’re all doing very different homework! I will not touch my 14-year-old’s homework. I’m always like, “Oh Jack, ask dad! Ask dad! Ask dad!” I have to pretend I’m stirring food or too busy cooking because I can’t do his maths! It can be overwhelming and, like a lot of parents, I’m a working mam. So I can be tired and cranky in the evenings. But I have to remind myself they’re only going to be little for so long. But it can be hard and I think it gets harder as they get older. Their personalities form and they need you more physiologically. But I love them, they are a good bunch.
Well you’re flat out as well at work. Lucy Investigates is coming back, can you tell us a bit about the new season?
I can’t share the subjects but we are currently filming the four episodes. It’s on telly as far as I know at the end of September! So when I finish filming that I move straight onto Living with Lucy. Do I know who I’m filming with? No! Do I have a list? No, nothing! I’m in a weird nomadsland, so I can’t really say too much! My sixth children’s book is coming out in August!
You are flat out! We love The Friendship Fairies series. Six books is seriously impressive!
Everything always happens at once! The sixth one is coming, but as the books go on, it’s clear that I’m losing my marbles. When it’s sent back to me by my editors and I read it all back, I’m like, “Who the hell wrote that?” It’s like a complete stranger wrote it. But I absolutely adore it! If I could just write children’s books full-time and make a living, I would be a very happy woman. That’s how I think I’ll end up – a crazy lady by the sea just writing children’s books.
Speaking of living by the sea, you’ve been showing off your new home more on social media. Now you are known for having a nosey in other people’s houses, so it must have been obvious people would have wanted to have a look inside your home!
I never showed this house in the past because I never thought anyone would have any interest in it. We bought the house three years ago and we’re still renovating it. There’s still holes in the floorboards and stuff. But the odd time I post a picture, my followers will ask where I got certain things. So I thought maybe people want to see where I live. I mean, as you said, I’m a professional stalker! So obviously people want to see inside my house. Maybe I’ll release a book on interiors! Forget the Friendship Fairies.
Do you have any downtime? How will you spend the summer?
A lot of people don’t know this, but I really fancy myself as a Charlie Dimmock. I love gardening, I love getting out into the garden. This week, I bought all my seeds and herbs and planted them all. I love it, I find it so therapeutic. People kind of laugh nervously when I say I’m green-fingered. But I spend a lot of time in my garden – so that’s how I’ll spend my summer. Then I have a family holiday in July to Portugal. Then I just skulk around the area, the usual Irish mother thing. I will also be filming Living with Lucy – one in August, two in September and a few in October.
New data from HelloFresh, the world’s leading recipe box company, has unveiled a significant shift in Ireland’s mealtime habits. Just 52 per cent of the population dine at the dinner table for their evening meal, while 27 per cent opt to eat in front of the TV. HelloFresh has teamed up with Lucy Kennedy to help Irish families reap these benefits. Through the HelloFresh Home Cooking Challenge, they’re encouraging families across the country to commit to cooking and sharing three meals at home per week.
