Supermum Edition: Terri-Anne Leske

It’s been a year since Circuit Breaker. Reflect on these #supermum stories from 2020

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What is your line of work? Do you have any kids?

I’m Terri-Anne Leske, Aussie expat, author of three cookbooks, mum of three babes and the founder of Carrotsticks and Cravings cafe (my 4th baby!)

How has transiting to WFH been like for you during the COVID-19 circuit breaker? How have you juggled work and kids? 

It’s definitely been a juggling act, I’m loving the extra time with the kids and it’s teaching them more independence. We’ve all had to learn to slow down a bit and be kinder to ourselves. It’s been a challenge juggling home schooling, constant cooking for the 235 snacks the kids seem to have each day, while also keeping on top of the cafes and making sure the staff are happy. We are doing all we can from a business perspective -- it hasn’t been without it’s challenges but we’re getting there!

What have been the challenges and rewards during this circuit breaker period for you the family?

Just loving the extra time with the kids and my hubby, Tom. I'm not quite sick of them yet (but there is still a month to go haha)! Hubby and I fit in a daily workout, and I’ve been getting the kids to do mummy yoga with me each day. There are also fun things we just don’t get to do usually, like Tuesday lunch time swims and baking croissants from scratch with my little aspiring baker daughter. I’ll be eternally grateful for this time together.

What does Mother’s Day mean to you? How will you be celebrating Mother’s Day this year?

To be honest Mother’s Day is all about getting a bit of reprieve to do what I'd like, instead of managing everyone else's wishes for the day. We usually have breakfast in bed after a little sleep in (like 7.40am if I’m lucky!) followed by a beautiful high tea or nice lunch as a family. This Mother’s Day I’m hoping to do no cooking (but that I get cooked exactly what I want -- haha, kitchen control freak!), maybe a pool day at home, glass of bubbles and might even try and sneak a bath without kids in if I’m lucky!

We know you enjoy good food and cooking at home, do you have any kid friendly recipes you can share?

Our go-to favourite at the moment is a simple Gluten-free rice-crumbed fried chicken (recipe here) with salad - so easy just salt and pepper egg wash then rice crumb coating and pan fry in olive oil. The kids say it tastes like KFC (not that I think they’ve ever tried that!).