Courtney Roulston discusses real food as well as her engagement with Sophie King.
When Courtney Roulston was growing up, there wasn’t a whole range of cookbooks like there are today. She had just one cookbook to read – Margaret Fulton’s – and read it. The front cover was tattered, and there were recipe scribbles everywhere.
After all, this book helped Roulston realise her love for cooking. “I used to cook my family dinners all from this one book and bake sweets on the weekend. For me, cooking was a great way of standing out in my family.”
All of this early practice must have helped Rouston in series two of Masterchef in 2010, where she made the final four. In 2011, Roulston set up her own catering company, with clients ranging from the Sydney Swans to private catering jobs around Australia. She also acts as a Coles ambassador and has her cooking segment on Channel 9’s ‘Mornings’.
“I’m fortunate to have gotten my big foot in many doors! Featuring on Masterchef helped, but it’s not all glamorous once the cameras stop rolling. It’s hard work but very rewarding.”
Regarding food, Roulston’s philosophy is: Stick to real food. “I’m not into anything that’s heavily processed. People love to complicate things with fad diets and the latest food trends – but wholesome, simple food will never go out of fashion for me!”
As for what motivates her (“Money… Just kidding!” she jokes), Roulston believes that immersing herself in all the world has to offer is needed to improve her recipes. She enjoys trying new dishes from different restaurants since food is constantly changing. By travelling and discovering innovative flavours and techniques, she finds inspiration.
Courtney Roulston
Roulston’s favourite food to eat is Japanese. “It’s an extremely healthy cuisine which never makes me feel guilty afterwards. However, I enjoy cooking all sorts of foods and never stick to one specific genre. It depends on the time of year, the weather or the mood I’m in!”
Roulston’s fiancée, Sophie King, enjoys indulging in richer flavour food, so Roulston often attempts to cook French and British dishes for her. Having just published cookbooks on salads, though, Roulston tested all the recipes, and they both enjoyed salad feasts for a good few weeks. According to Roulston, if she were stranded on a desert island (with King, of course) with only five foods, they would be Ripe tomatoes, good olive oil, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil and champagne (“Champagne is food in my eyes!”). She would make a simple Caprese salad with a glass of bubbly.
When asked how she and King met, Roulston, recalls, “We met in Sydney’s dingiest bar. It was a hip hop night, and amongst a sea of snapback hats and chunky necklaces, Sophie caught my eye… She was probably the only other person who wasn’t dressed like Missy Elliott! She was the gorgeous person I’d ever seen.”
It took Roulston months of writing messages and attempting to charm King before finally winning her. The two announced their engagement last year, and the engagement itself was a complete surprise to Roulston. Assuming she was going away to Bryon Bay to cook at a healthy food expo, Roulston had no idea about King’s secret plans.
“On the first night, I was told by my boss that I’d be attending a media launch – Sophie’s ploy to get me dressed up – but when I arrived, there was nobody else there, apart from a private chef escorting me to a table with a bottle of champagne on it! Sophie had decorated the area with flowers and candles inside jars hanging from the trees… I’m a lucky girl. It was an extremely romantic occasion; one that I will cherish and remember for the rest of my life.”
So what’s next for Courtney Roulston? She plans to travel through Spain, Italy, and France next year and release a new cookbook – hopefully, the result of her European adventure. Roulston’s first cookbook, The Salad Kitchen, is out now, and her second cookbook, Salads In A Jar, was recently released. Both books can be ordered at newhollandpublishers.com.
