Muso, writer and food entrepreneur Flip Grater talks inspo, crosswords, Paris noodles and learning to temper the truth with tact.

What’s one thing people probably don’t know about you? My birth name is Clare, my Muslim name is Mariam and my actual nickname is Flipper, although most people call me Flip.

You probably first popped up on many people's radar as a musician. Tell us about that part of your life? Yeah I worked in the music industry for many years, touring and recording. It was a great lifestyle and creative outlet. But after my daughter Anais was born I just felt like I needed to do more for the planet than singing sad songs!

Do you still find time for performing? I haven't played in public for a while but Anais and I play and sing around the house and I still love making music. I will always write and play because it's who I am. I'm just not doing it professionally at this moment in time.

If you weren’t doing what you are now, what would you want to be doing? I'd still be playing music and writing books. In fact, I'm still dabbling in those things! I'm touring with Tim Finn in September and slowly working on my next cookbook.

What’s the best advice your mum ever gave you? “In order to right a systemic wrong, you need to swing the pendulum all the way to the other side.” She was talking about equity over equality well before I'd ever heard those terms in common use. Also this beautiful two-word sentence: “Try tact.” This was helpful for me as an outspoken young activist who decided my role in our family would be Truth-Teller and subsequently went around pissing everyone off.

How did you get started on Grater Goods? As I say I really felt a sense of urgency around climate change when Anais was born so I pivoted into food as a form of delicious activism. I had come back from living in Europe with the habit of having Apero at the end of the day but I couldn't find anything to eat with a nice glass of pinot so I started experimenting with making types of plant-based charcuterie. Eventually I came up with some recipes that were decadent and satisfying and I thought, perhaps others would like these too. Turns out they did!

You call it ethical hedonism – it's like having your cake and eating it too, isn't it? Absolutely. It's about not having to compromise your pleasure for your principles. I mean, what's the point of saving the planet if we're all having a terrible time on it and eating horrible food?

Are you pleasantly surprised or still impatient at the rate of adoption of plant-based food alternatives? The change in attitude around these foods has taken a long time, with enormous efforts from policymakers, filmmakers, activists and businesses. But the popularity we've seen recently has been rapid and heartening. Consumers are increasingly making more sustainable choices. And with better and better plant-based options coming onto the market, those earth-conscious choices are getting easier and easier to make. Christchurch seems a fertile base for such a venture.

Why do you think that is? Christchurch has always been an underrated space for innovation but we've always been doing it. And the support we've received locally from customers, like-minded businesses, investors, mentors and government groups has been amazing. We're really proud to be Canterbury-based and I personally love being a part of changing the story we're telling the world as a food region.

Who are your culinary heroes? Samin Nosrat, Derick Sarno, Yotam Ottolenghi and Miyoko Schinner.

Is there a particular book or author that has inspired you in your life or career? Three books in my case. Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms by Eugenia Bone; The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle; and Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts by Brené Brown.

What’s your favourite guilty pleasure? Rom coms.

What advice would you give to your younger self? You have to spend time to make time. Meditation and mindfulness practice don't just improve your life, they make time behave differently.

What album/song do you have on high rotation at the moment? “Careless Woman” by Tami Neilson. If anyone sees the Grater Goods EV driving around Ōtautahi, my daughter and I are probably inside it shouting the lyrics to this song at the top of our lungs.

What’s your favourite way to spend a Sunday afternoon? At this time of year it's a jigsaw puzzle, a glass of Canterbury Pinot and a good podcast. Then the Sunday Star-Times crosswords with my step-father and sister via Skype. We started doing this every week during lockdown in 2020 and now it's a staple Sunday activity.

Go-to meal to whip up? Generally it's some kind of rice noodle soup. In Paris there was this noodle place called Happy Nouilles (happy noodles) so we call most bowls of noodles Happy Noodles but my go-to is a flat rice noodle in a clear broth. Another quick weeknight family staple is some hot rice served with cold fresh tofu, some greens, kim chi and homemade chilli oil.

What’s your go-to spot in Christchurch? Miss Peppercorns for mapo tofu and pickles. Utopia for ice cream. Salut Salut for wine. Lyttelton Markets for tempeh and veges. Bohemian Bakery for bread.

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