Lorraine Pascale

Mother to 15 year old Ella, Lorraine grew up in Oxfordshire with her adoptive mother and aged 11 she achieved a 100 per cent scholarship to go to a boarding school in Devon. Aged 16, she was spotted by a model scout while shopping in Covent Garden. She was whisked off to New York and held her own amongst the biggest names of the day for some of the world’s most successful designers including Chanel, Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Versace, Benetton and Donna Karan. She was also the first British black model on the cover of American Elle.Although Lorraine had a fabulous time modelling, she gave it up as she wanted to find something she was really passionate about and something that would take her through her 30s and beyond. So in between modelling jobs, she enrolled on loads of courses to find out what would really make her tick including hypnotherapy and interior design. It was not until she enrolled on a year-long cookery course at Leith’s that Lorraine finally knew what she wanted to do.On completing the Leith’s Diploma of Food and Wine, Lorraine did a two year foundation degree in International Culinary Arts in Pastry and then worked in some of the most renowned kitchens of the world, including Petrus, The Mandarin Oriental, Gilgamesh and The Wolseley. But working 18-hour days for someone else wasn’t easy for Lorraine which led her to start her own business creating celebration cakes.Today, Lorraine’s cookery career is going from strength to strength. A long held dream was realised with her first television cookery series ‘Baking Made Easy’ being launched as a prime time TV show on BBC Two.Viewers were able to watch Lorrraine discuss her love of good food, while she expertly prepared a wide selection of recipes (baking isn’t just about cakes, there are lots of savoury dishes as well!) and talks about her love of baking. The book launched alongside the show and shot straight to the top of Amazon’s Food & Drink bestsellers list. Lorraine’s second series, Home Cooking Made Easy, embodied everything that she’s about – elegant, stress-free cooking that delivers exceptional results. The series was a huge hit for BBC 2 and like its predecessor, Baking Made Easy, has been sold internationally to territories as far as Australia and South Africa. The tie-in book, Home Cooking Made Easy, was another smash hit topping the charts yet again and gaining universal praise from publications as far reaching as The Sunday Times to Grazia.Due to her interesting start in life, Lorraine is very supportive of the charities Barnardos and Tact, both of which deal with fostered and adopted children. Barnardos is also concerned with young people struggling with adversity.And as if all of this wasn’t enough, she has just completed a degree in culinary Arts Management encompassing international gastronomy, food policy and micro-biology, along with all aspects of food, passed with First Class Honours.