In The Kitchen With Anna Søgaard
Anna Søgaard is a Danish chef who's trajectory took her from Sous Chef at Erst, Manchester, to Head Chef at Bistro Freddie, Liverpool St. Anna has gone on to co-found Suppher, "an inclusive supper club, powered by women" and runs her own Danish pop up, Jomfru. She is also Head of Development at luxury caterer Rocket Food. Her cooking brings together Scandinavian food traditions, seasonality and the precision of professional kitchens. We spoke to Anna about cooking at home as a way to reset, becoming a head chef, working with cast iron, and the particular pleasure of making pot pie in a Hornbeam skillet.
After a busy day at work, cooking at home gives me a chance to slow down and reset. I’m drawn to food that feels comforting and nourishing. At work, everything has to be precise and carefully measured so it can be replicated by the team. At home, I enjoy getting lost in the ritual of cooking a bit more and treating it as a moment of calm.
Very much so. Growing up around Scandinavian food traditions gave me an appreciation for simplicity, seasonality and preserving ingredients properly, whether that’s pickling, curing, fermenting or simply making the most of what is available throughout the year.
Becoming a head chef, and later moving into development, changed the way I think about creativity. You realise quite quickly that ideas do not just appear in the kitchen. They come from observing the world around you: travel, conversations, seasonal produce, nature, different cultures, even everyday moments.
I like kitchens that feel social, energetic and genuinely enjoyable to be in. The atmosphere has a huge effect on the food that comes out of it. At home, my kitchen is probably more influenced by professional kitchens than I realise. I like things to be organised and functional. After years of working in fast-paced environments, I’ve become very aware of how a kitchen flows and how much calmer cooking feels when everything has its place.
I love the way cast iron holds and distributes heat so evenly. It gives you incredible colour and depth of flavour, whether you’re searing meat, roasting vegetables or slowly building a dish over time. I also like that cast iron asks you to slow down a bit. Heating the pan properly, seasoning it and looking after it becomes part of the process.
I love using cast iron to sear meat or shallow fry chicken, but one of my favourite things to make in it is pot pie. You can build the entire dish in the pan, make the filling, then cover it with pastry and finish it in the oven.
The main thing is keeping it dry and maintaining the seasoning over time. I always dry the pan thoroughly after washing it and season it lightly so it continues to build up its surface naturally. I like that cast iron changes with use. The more you cook with it and look after it, the better it becomes.