Come Dine With Me… Sinéad O’Dwyer

Come Dine With Me… Sinéad O’Dwyer

It may be a coincidence that Sinéad O’Dwyer’s studio happens to be five minutes around the corner from her favourite London restaurant on Columbia Road, but either way, she has great taste - in both food and fashion. A sartorial beacon for body positivity, the Irish designer founded her namesake brand in 2018, celebrating the human shape in all its beautiful forms.

Not only do we love Sinéad for her inclusive approach to designing, but also for her lifelong love of pasta and sauce, because, same. To honour the launch of her collection at Browns for the new season, we could think of no better way to celebrate than over pasta and wine - some of life’s greatest pleasures.

Where are you and what are you eating / drinking?
I'm at Brawn and I'm eating Watermelon, Feta, Peperoncino & Mint salad with Tagliatelle, Girolles, Pangrattato & Parmesan. I’m drinking Pét-Nat.

I hear you and your wife love coming here for your anniversary – why here? What do you love most about this spot?
When we first moved to London seven-ish years ago and fell in love, Ottilie (my partner) found Brawn because she loves natural wine. It then became a tradition of ours to save up for a special dinner here once a year for our anniversary. I think we’re quite frugal as a couple and cook a lot at home, so when we go out we enjoy splurging! As the restaurant is only five minutes from my studio, it’s ideal!

What’s your favourite thing on the menu?
I love all the seafood dishes. The pasta I’ve selected is very much something I would want to eat every day.

Favourite thing to eat?
Pasta! And I love sauce.

Least favourite thing to eat?
I'm funny about some dairy products as I’m allergic to cow's milk, so certain smells and textures bother me.

What’s your earliest food memory?
Cooking with my grandmother and grating cheese at the table naked when I was like three. I remember holding the squishy cheese and kneeling on a chair.

What would your last meal be and where would you want to eat it?
My dad's steak with salad and potatoes in my parent’s house in the garden.

If you could only eat one cuisine for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Italian-Japanese fusion. I’ve cheated here but that combination is the best. The freshness and simplicity of Italian food and the flavours and food preparation techniques of Japanese cooking are so gorgeous together.

What music do you cook to?
I love listening to Bachata when I cook and, if I'm alone, sometimes I like to cook and talk on the phone. I find both very relaxing.

Any tips for dinner party entertaining?
Cook together - it's so much more fun, especially if you're making for a big group.

What three people (living or dead) are at your dream dinner table?
The author Melissa Broder. I’d like to tell her how much her novel 'Milkfed' meant to me. Also the author of the novel 'Leash', Jane DeLynn, and Jennifer Coolidge... I think the conversation would just be really iconic, all very intense artists with dark humour. 

What’s your most and least favourite food trends in recent history?
I’m so happy about the plant-based food trend as now there's so much dairy-free milk chocolate and ice-cream. I love chocolate. I’m unhappy about vegan foods being so overpriced - now that it’s so trendy to eat plant-based, certain products are even more expensive than they used to be.

Best advice you’ve ever been given?
Zoe Broach, the head of fashion design dept at RCA, said a lot of things that have stuck with me during my MA. Like, creating just one tiny thing that is meaningful to you to get to the next stage of your work is enough, you don't need loads of stuff. That every new milestone is just a comma in the journey, never a full stop. These concepts help keep you moving forward without getting too caught up in the next collection/project/dress/buttonhole being the most important thing in the world.

What’s your greatest achievement?
I’m proud that I have the opportunity to do something that I love and believe in everyday with a team who I care for and respect.

Shop Sinéad O’Dwyer

Photography: Jonathan Middleton
Words: Sophy Davis Russell