Former British professional tennis player, Johanna Konta, has welcomed an Everhot into her new family home, ready to cook for her other new arrival due this autumn.
After moving from a city apartment to the peace of the countryside, Johanna and her husband Jackson have been renovating their new 1930s home, including a complete redesign of their kitchen. Of course, Johanna chose green for her kitchen cupboards, teaming them with a Dove Grey Everhot 100i. Almost the green and white of Wimbledon!
We wanted to find out from Johanna all about how her Australian and Hungarian routes influence her cooking, and what Christmas dinner will be like in the Konta household this winter!
Tell us a little bit about your decision behind Everhot?
“Having only ever lived in apartments, I really wanted to try something different than the standard electric oven. Especially as we were beginning renovating our new home outside of the city. I’ve always loved and romanticised the idea of a range cooker, as well as the way they looked, but was always a little scared of the oil powered systems, their efficiency and also I’d never tried to cook on one before! “When looking for the perfect oven for our kitchen, I found Everhot and immediately loved the aesthetic – that classic country style – but also the highly efficient electric system and the ease of use. I loved that I could have standard electric hobs alongside the hotplates and the two ovens. With Everhot offering hand made, high quality cookers made here in the UK, I just couldn’t say no.”
Was the size and colour decision difficult or did you know from the start what you wanted?
“Everhot has such a wide range of amazing colours, it was initially a difficult choice. Do we play safe and blend or do we find something amazing as a feature piece with something like a bright orange? In the end, we decided on the Dove Grey as it was a subtle feature in our predominantly green kitchen, whilst keeping that ‘contemporary country’ aesthetic that we were aiming for throughout the house.”
Were you having your kitchen remodeled or redesigned? What was the inspiration behind your kitchen design?
“The works on the kitchen came as part of the wider renovation we were undertaking at our new home. Moving out to the countryside into a 1930s property, we wanted the whole home to feel ‘contemporary country’ – a blend of traditional country references paired with a modern, clean feel.“For the kitchen, we very much went for a traditional style and focussed on ensuring the details, such as the cabinets being full height to the ceiling and plenty of big, useful storage and hidden spaces for modern tech like coffee machines. “I’ve always had a dream of having a big dining table, full of family at Christmas, with kids and dogs and something slow cooking in the range. Our table seats 12 and we have the Everhot so we’re halfway there!”
Are you the cook in the family? Where does your passion for cooking come from?
“Absolutely! To be fair, my husband can (and does cook) but he eats to live, whereas I definitely live to eat. I love trying new recipes, methods and ingredients and I love it when people try my food and (hopefully) enjoy it.“I’ve always had this passion for food, I have really fond memories of Grandma’s cooking and licking the spoon – so very Disney! My parents have always encouraged a really good approach to food and ingredients too, but I think having travelled the world as a tennis player, I learned to love different styles of cuisine and I try to recreate that variety at home.”
How did your cooking change when you became an Everhot owner?
“Initially it felt like a big change from a conventional oven. My husband did lots of research and tried to show me everything, but the hurdle I had to get over was that cooking on an Everhot – especially in the ovens – is a much more relaxed experience. “Prior to owning the Everhot, I was always an extremely regimented cook. If the recipe says a 3cm piece of leek, I’d use a ruler! So knowing the exact temperature, and timings to the second was my natural approach. However, after cooking a few meals, the Everhot really became second nature to me and it was immediately obvious how much better the actual cooking was. Meats never seem to dry-out and everything is cooked so evenly. It’s just a case of getting used to the fact that it’s no longer about getting the oven to exact temperatures and worrying about it being in 10 seconds too long – but it’s really worth it.“I also love the hotplates in combination with the induction hobs. The hotplates are just a different kind of heat and I absolutely love what they bring. I think that I’d now struggle to go back to that conventional oven and I’d definitely miss the Everhot warmth in the winter!”
What’s your favourite dish to cook on your Everhot?
“To be honest I absolutely love love love potatoes, especially roast potatoes and they are my favourite thing to cook in my Everhot. My method hasn’t changed from my conventional oven, but the end result is mind-blowing. I don’t know exactly why they cook so brilliantly, but it’s not my job to question the magic! My husband tells me that my roasties are better than the best he’s ever had even at restaurants and he’s from the North so that’s saying something!”
How has your diet and cooking changed since leaving professional tennis?
“Interestingly, my diet hasn’t ever really changed very much at all, both prior to playing, during playing and afterwards. From a young age my parents always taught me to eat well, with a varied diet and focussing on the quality of the ingredients, rather than the meal or dish itself. I was always the kid at school with some tuna and rye bread followed by some fruit in my lunchbox and this still sticks with me.
“When I was playing, our tournaments were all over the world, some in cities, some in more remote towns and some in the middle of nowhere, so I had to learn to adapt and just find the best nutrition I could wherever I was. Obviously during heavy training / playing periods, I would need to eat more to recoup what I was burning off, but otherwise I’ve never had a strict diet. Even now at home, my focus is always on clean, fresh and ideal local ingredients with a good even balance and plenty of fruits and veggies.
“Although I will admit that I do maybe make more roast potatoes now more than ever!”
