Can we store cookies?
We use cookies to enable website functionality, improve your experience and tailor ads. Find out more here.
#PCPIONEERS
SKYE MCAPLINE is a Cookery author and Sunday Times columnist. Her latest boot ‘A Table of Love’ is out now and she has also launched her own tableware collection, inspired by London and Venice - @skyemcalpinetavola.
Which style did you choose and why were those the pair for you?
I chose the Pull On Inclement waterproof boots. I love that they look chic but are also super practical. It's so hard to find nice shoes to wear in bad weather - I love them!
We love the idea of our customers and Pioneers taking our shoes around the world, as they live out their various adventures. Tell us a little about what you will be doing in your PCs over the next few months?
They'll definitely be coming on my next trip to Venice this winter and will be super useful on the cold and wet days there.
Your latest cookbook ‘A Table Full Of Love’, is all about easy entertaining, so as the winter nights draw in, which cosy dishes will we find you cooking up with friends?
There's a whole chapter on comfort cooking, which feels perfect for this colder weather and cosier evenings - particular favourites are the chicken and saffron pie and the beetroot, gorgonzola, and walnut tart.
You Have Recently Launched Your Own Homewares Brand, Tavola. Tell us a little bit about it and the influences behind it?
We launched Tavola in 2021 and just celebrated our 2 year anniversary this November - the time has flown by! I love cooking and hosting but have always found that laying the table, so it looks pretty and inviting, is a big part of the fun! And those extra touches can make the simplest of meals feel like a special occasion.
I work with artisans from Venice (where I grew up) and the surrounding region to create a lot of our pieces: the ceramics are all hand painted in Bassano del Grappa and the glass is hand-blown in Murano. In terms of design, I take a lot of inspiration from vintage pieces that I've collected over the years and use all the time.
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learnt as a chef and entrepreneur?
Oh my goodness, where to start?! One thing I've learned is that everything always takes much longer to do than you think it's going to! So, I'm trying to get better at managing my time. The biggest and most important lesson, though, and as cliché as this sounds, is do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life.
Your website says you grew up in Venice and never really left, what is it that makes the city so magical, and where’s your favourite spot?
For me Venice feels like home and therefore I think has an eternal hold on me. I'm biased, but I also think it's the most beautiful city: something about the light and the colours reflected in the water everywhere; and the sense of peace that comes from not having any cars...I love spending time at the Rialto Market, there is so much wonderful and exciting fresh produce there - it's very inspiring and a truly magical way to shop.
PC is a brand rooted in heritage and slow fashion, and our collections pay homage to pieces that are built to last, which heirloom piece of clothing is your most treasured and why?
Oh my goodness, that’s like choosing a favourite child! I buy a lot of vintage and wear it to death. I have a 1950s cotton summer dress with a fabulous blue floral print that I bought with my summer pocket money from a vintage shop on the Kings Rd (Steinbeck and Tolken - now sadly long gone), when I was 14 years old and still wear in the summer months, even though the fabric is now fraying and I think it might be on it's last legs... I’ve loved it literally to pieces.
