fave five #5: thea everett

featuring paul giamatti

this week i’m excited to share thea everett’s fave five. she’s the deputy editor at delicious magazine and writes the newsletter, what’s that you’re cooking, thea? with recipes, interviews and more here on substack.

while thea and i have never met in person, we have been “following” each other for some time now and i’ve enjoyed not only her own recipes, interviews and reels, but also her writings for various outlets from the guardian to vittles. earlier this year i was humbled to be a guest on her newsletter and developed this fun recipe for a savory hong kong-style french toast. enjoy and see you next week!

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thea everett’s fave five

1. Paul Giamatti breaks down his career on Vanity Fair—I have developed a Saturday morning ritual with my partner which is eating Turkish eggs on the sofa while we watch our favourite YouTube subscriptions on TV. If we don’t get this time of a weekend, I feel cheated. This Paul Giamatti video from a favourite Vanity Fair series proved him to be what you might have expected: a pleasingly normal guy. His softly spoken manner charms me.

2. TOAD bakery—The pastries here will transform your day, week, month. I particularly recommend the everything bagel croissant, so generously filled with cream cheese, spring onions and sesame; and the fruity sun buns (especially now when gooseberries are in season). 

3. North Yorkshire, England—This is probably the part of the world that means the most to me. It’s getting close to Scotland so there’s a hint of the rugged coastline further north, undulating heather covered moors, the best fish and chips in Whitby, and greatest of all: hardly any people anywhere! I particularly love the tea rooms in Robin Hood's Bay where a heavenly cheesy jacket potato is inexplicably served with a side of orange slices and strawberries. Keep on kookin’, England.

4. Hidden Brain Podcast—I have learnt so much about my mind, and the brains of others, from my time spent with Shankar Vedantam. A few episodes I strongly recommend you seek out immediately are: Being Kind to Yourself; Change your Story, Change your Life; and How Others See You.

5. Sweet Dreamin’ by Tex Crick—This album was introduced to me, like most music of the last few years, by Spotify’s algorithms, I’m embarrassed to say. But they really hit the nail on the head with this one, because it is as they say: a bit of me. I get big Jerry Paper vibes from it but with a country haze that leaves me more relaxed than I was before I listened. I enjoy the combination of Tex’s voice and his simple piano melodies. Just groovy.