Andy Hearnden - Andy Cooks
Andy Hearnden, better known as Andy Cooks, is a digital chef who creates online cooking videos for his 14 million subscribers across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Awarded YouTube Australia’s Top Creator in 2023, Andy creates educational and entertaining food videos that inspire people to cook better food at home. Known for his signature “Hey Babe” and “Order’s Up” format, his videos are viewed by 140 million people on average each month.
The Australia-based Kiwi chef produces weekly videos from his home studio on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. He published his first book Andy Cooks: The Cookbook** in 2023, featuring the favourite recipes he makes for family and friends. Andy previously spent over 20 years cooking in professional kitchens, learning from incredible chefs in restaurants across Auckland, London, Sydney and Melbourne. At 24 he landed his first Head Chef role at the Great Eastern Dining Room in Shoreditch, London, eventually ending up on the business side of hospitality managing restaurants, cafes, and bars.
Andy’s hugely popular videos highlight good produce, good ingredients, good skills, and how to bring them all together to make a great meal. For Andy, it’s all about good food, for good people.
** Full disclosure; Lazy Sunday Club’s Leanne Kitchen worked on this book and can report that Andy is a completely top guy.
1. Who would your dream dinner guest be and what would you cook for them?
Stephen Fry because I think he would be really interesting to have a conversation with. I’d make him my 7-hour lamb shoulder, mash potatoes, green beans with lemon zest and toasted almonds.
2. What’s your most treasured food memory?
Lunch at Cantina De Tita A in Cavite, Philippines. We went there as part of a YouTube video and it was a really special experience – we learnt about adobo and other popular Filipino foods at a local home and then sat down and ate an incredible meal together.
3. What are the ingredients or flavours you could not live without?
Gochujang, soy sauce and garlic; you’ll find these in most of my cooking.
4. What is (or what are) your most essential cooking tools?
A good (sharp) knife because it will make your life a lot easier in the kitchen, and then a dough cutter and microplane - I think I use these daily.
5. Who are your food heros/ greatest influences?
Anthony Bourdain and Fergus Henderson, both are absolute legends and have inspired a lot of my cooking.
6. What are the food trends you most dislike?
The butter board. I don’t understand why this became a trend.
7. What do you cook when you just can’t be bothered or when time is short?
Fried rice, I usually have leftover rice in the fridge, it’s good to use up with whatever veg is left over too and it’s very quick and easy to pull together.
8. Name your current favourite cookbooks?
It always changes but right now it’s Tin Nagi’s Recipe Tin Eats book. She creates some fantastic recipes for the home cook. And Nat’s What I Reakon. Nat’s new book is half cookbook, half comic book - it’s just different.
9. What are your best tips, tricks or hacks for entertaining at home?
Get your prep done early and do the majority of the cooking before your guests arrive so you can enjoy your time with them.
10. Are there any foods you don’t like or don’t eat?
Okra.
11. Name a favourite destination for food/dining.
Currently, it’s San Sebastian, Spain for pintxos (tapas).
12. What’s your ultimate food treat?
Ice cream, I have a major sweet tooth.
