Practice Ways with Emily Scott

Practice Ways is a monthly feature on Balance Practice, sharing practice notes from writers, makers, and coaches, and offering perspectives on what practice looks like as real life is happening.

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I first came upon chef

Emily Scott

’s work when I moved back to London after a few years in California, and she had my heart with the title of her first cookbook, Sea & Shore. The coast has always felt like home to me and in her words about living and cooking in Cornwall I felt a distinct recognition of my beloved Pacific Coast.

I’m easily intimidated by recipes but find Emily’s approach to be so inviting. She welcomes you right into her kitchen and in doing so helps you to access your own. The book opens with, “HELLO, HELLO TO YOU... So, to begin, I have baked you a cake — my carrot cake.” Needless to say that cake has become my birthday and celebration go-to, a favorite in the minds and bellies of everyone in my home. There’s a beautiful simplicity to her food, which is practical and accessible, and her offerings have a unique way of connecting and feeling timely.

I spent a few weeks in Cornwall this summer where she lives part-time and I took her latest book, Tide & Time, along for local culinary inspiration. She writes about the rhythm of the seasons and the sea, and with headings like Rituals & Routines (A sense of balance), Gently does it, Child-like wonder, and Therapy, it feels like a book of practices. And so it is.

I’ve been intrigued to hear more about Emily’s approach not just to cooking but also to living. Daily strength and stretching is a mainstay ingredient — she uses a favorite routine that energizes her body and creates a pocket of time just for her. Not surprisingly, her notes on the themes of balance and practice are as delicious and succinct as her recipes.