#192 How to Reduce Back to School Overwhelm Food Prep with Sarah Butler

Lucy Gernon (00:01.454)

Do you struggle with home cooking? If you do, today’s episode of Three Six Leadership podcast is for you. I’m delighted to welcome the fantastic Sarah Butler, who is a home cook extraordinaire and Instagram sensation. She has been seen all over the place, including television, and is here today to share her secrets on what it takes to become a home cook and why home cooking is so important. Sarah, you are very welcome back to the show. How are you?

 

Sarah Butler (00:26.797)

I’m good, thank you so much for having me, I really appreciate it.

 

Lucy Gernon (00:30.542)

Oh my God, of course. know, I was just looking, Sarah was actually, was just looking before I would come on air. Sarah was one of the very first guests I ever had on this show back in 2022. It was back in April, 2022, three years ago.

 

Sarah Butler (00:42.979)

Was it? Okay, I was thinking this morning. Wow.

 

Lucy Gernon (00:48.044)

Yeah, three years ago, Sarah was one of my very first guests on the show and the show has grown so much since then and so have you. So let us know a little bit about what you’ve been up to and who you are and what you do for anyone who doesn’t know of you.

 

Sarah Butler (00:53.549)

Yeah. Yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (01:01.013)

Yeah, OK, so I am Sarah and I suppose my my food journey was always there because I came from a very foodie background, as in my father was a butcher. I grew up in a bed and breakfast. Both my parents were always cooking and baking. My grandparents were great bakers and cooks. So at home, it was always there. And what I didn’t pursue it as a career, I actually went down the path of design. So I did a degree in graphic design and digital media.

 

And I worked in that for about 19 years, specializing as it went, it developed from signage, vehicle graphics, window graphics, big stuff, banners. As the kids came along, I kind of veered into Wedding Stationery because it was a little bit less physical and something you could do from home a bit more. And that was going great, winning lots of awards and loved it, really loved it, worked with family life.

 

And then COVID came and the weddings were cancelled. So I had no work basically and I am a worker. I always loved my work. So I found it very difficult to have nothing to do and not to know, you know, I have all this free time and I’m not one to sit idle. I always cooked. I always thought everyone knew how to cook. I just thought, I don’t know, like.

 

You just everybody knew that. Did everybody not know that? So I suppose I I think I made a lemon meringue pie one day and I just put a picture of it up on my wedding stationery page and everybody been at home in lockdown asked, how did you make it? So that was my very first video back in 2019 and 20. Yeah, 20. It was locked down. So it just kind of went from there. Sharing my kind of daily tips.

 

Here’s what I made for dinner. Here’s how I made it. People asked questions. Then brands began to get on board to work with me. And that was great because obviously it was an income that I didn’t have because the weddings did. And even when it did come back, weddings were limited to 50 guests. And that’s 25 invitations over what would have been 250 invitations. So you can you do the math and the same work is involved. You still had to design it artwork.

 

Lucy Gernon (03:13.198)

moving

 

Sarah Butler (03:22.381)

print it, it, cut it, the lot. So yeah, it just kind of snowballed. then the following had asked me, would I put my recipes in a book? So I did and having the graphic degree behind me, I was able to do it all myself. I did all the food photography, the design, the layout, everything, self-published the lot. Yeah.

 

Lucy Gernon (03:41.674)

Wow, I have your book. didn’t know you did all the design. If anyone doesn’t have, I have your first book. think, do have two books? Four books. my God, I have your first book and it’s like beautiful. It’s like it’s got like that blue reminds me of like Ainsley or something like that. It’s like beautiful. I absolutely love it. Wow.

 

Sarah Butler (03:47.447)

Yeah, I have four, yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (03:54.85)

Yeah.

 

Yeah. Yeah, it’s very me. So obviously I had a professional photographer to do the cover, but everything else is my own work. So yeah, then the fourth book, as I said, they are all very similar, but a little different as well. And then I got asked to cook on TV. So I’m a regular cook with RT Today Show, which I absolutely love.

 

That’s so much fun and I’m a little bit of a thrill seeker. I love live. I love risk. I love speed So I love that So that’s kind of now my job is working with cool brands. Mmm

 

Lucy Gernon (04:35.856)

my God, what a transition to go from graphic design into doing something that you grew up with and now it is your career. my God, love, like I grew up, my mom was a baker as well. My parents had a coffee shop, so I always knew how to cook as well. I’m a bit of a step back, not gonna lie, because it gets busy. So that’s why you’re here today to help us mommies who are, we’re here now, we’re a back to school season. What are some…

 

Sarah Butler (04:44.022)

Yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (04:49.263)

wow, yeah!

 

Sarah Butler (04:54.605)

Mm. Yep.

 

Sarah Butler (05:00.525)

Mm-hmm.

 

Lucy Gernon (05:01.762)

that you have so that we all want to give our kids nutritious lunches. And it’s getting very difficult. What are your tips for school lunches? Let’s just start there.

 

Sarah Butler (05:05.697)

Yep. Mm-hmm.

 

Okay, so I am a very, I call myself a granny cook. I’m very old fashioned, very old school. I’m not into fads or anything like that. I have kids myself. I am not a trained cook. So I know the struggle. So in this house, and I think everyone else’s house is probably the same, kids are constantly hungry, constantly open in the fridge. So what I do is I will make a load of brown bread.

 

I think brown bread is the best thing in the world because it’s so filling. It’s something that they can work away at themselves. You know, I just had my breakfast with brown bread and cheese. So a load of brown bread, you can get that in the oven in jake time and I’ll freeze a few loaves. So I have them for throughout the week. I’ll just take them out the night before. And that’s literally on the island all the time. I don’t buy biscuits. I don’t buy crisps. I don’t buy fizzy drinks. I don’t buy sugary treats. I make them.

 

And it’s good for the kids to see them been made and help and see the amount of sugar. Every time we make brownies, the kids are like, my God, that’s so much sugar, ma’am. I’m like, yeah, and that’s okay, but just have one. Whereas if you bought a packet, you need to throw a packet. I had to stop buying crisps and biscuits, because I just ate them all and immediately you know yourself, it goes to your belly and you start getting spots. Anyway, it’s going off the point. So home-baked goods like brown bread is great.

 

For school lunch boxes, sausage rolls are great. I know my little guy loves them, so I’ll make a batch of them, freeze them raw uncooked, and then throw them in the oven the night before so you have them. School.

 

Lucy Gernon (06:48.11)

Do you make your own pastry or can we cheat and guess?

 

Sarah Butler (06:52.403)

gosh, yeah, puff pastry, no one has the time for that. Shore crust is a little bit easier. That’s, you know, the puff, you have layers of butter and pastry and all that. So yeah, absolutely, can see it. It’s just as good. So, you know, just make a load. And I always say make a load while you’re at it. Make four loaves of brown bread. Make three batches of sausage rolls. Pizza bagels are another one. So you basically make this hidden veggie sauce. This is probably my most popular recipe for.

 

parents, especially with fussy eaters. So you’ll oven roast a load of veg like onions and garlic and tomatoes and peppers, aubergines and whatever. Get it nice and soft and then you blend it so there’s no vegetables to be seen. You can use that as a pizza base for these little pizza bagels if you get the little slims and then add your cheese and your toppings, get the kids to help you. Pop them in the freezer and they can then pop them in the oven or the air fryer themselves. School lunch boxes, my top tip.

 

and that’s one that everybody loves is the apple, how to stop the apple going brown if your kids won’t eat it whole. So you can peel your apple and chop it up and then just pop it into a bowl with maybe half teaspoon of salt and let that sit there for three or four minutes and then rinse the apple, dry it and it won’t go brown. So that has been

 

Lucy Gernon (07:54.467)

or tell them.

 

Lucy Gernon (08:09.494)

You put it with water and salt or you just put it in with salt?

 

Sarah Butler (08:11.625)

Yeah, in with water. So you make a little salt bath for it and leave it in there for a few minutes and then rinse it with fresh water and dry it well. And it will not brown. It will still come home uneaten if it’s like any other child. As I say, we’re taking the apple to school today and then it’s going to come back home to me. But yeah, we try our best.

 

Lucy Gernon (08:31.512)

Well, listen, we’re taking the mommy box that we’re trying our best to open. If they choose not to eat it, there’s nothing we can do about that.

 

Sarah Butler (08:34.707)

Yeah, it’s hard.

 

Yeah. Yeah. And what I do is in this house, I started when they were small and it’s it’s great, but it can be a pain in the ass. I make homemade pancakes every single morning for them. So they go to school every morning. I can do it in my sleep now. The kids actually do it now. They know the mix. And I’ll also make it up the night before. So in there, I’ve got flour, eggs, goats, yogurt.

 

Lucy Gernon (08:53.068)

watch every morning.

 

Sarah Butler (09:08.417)

or you can use natural yogurt and buttermilk. There’s no sugar, I throw a handful of oats in there and they’ll have three of them every morning with fruit. Tom has his with banana, Grace will have it with berries. They might have a little bit of Nutella or honey on it, that’s fine. But at least they’re going in and they’re full and they’re not eating a bowl of sugary cereal and they’re getting a bit of fruit and they’ll have a glass of milk with that as well. So I don’t really mind if they don’t eat their lunchbox because they’re coming home then to a nice dinner.

 

Lucy Gernon (09:37.518)

Yeah. Oh my God. I love that. We have the apple tip. I love that. We have the pancake tip, which is just the oats. like, do you know what? think sometimes people think like, it takes so long to do these things, but really it doesn’t. Like tell us about like timing. Cause I know my audience are really busy and they’re like, I’m not going to have time to do all of this. are some time saving hacks that you have? I know you mentioned batching. What else? are time savers have you got?

 

Sarah Butler (09:37.827)

So a good start to the day.

 

Sarah Butler (09:44.386)

Yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (09:52.099)

Yeah, I get that.

 

Sarah Butler (10:00.331)

Yeah, the batch cooking is great. Well, as I said in my fourth book, which is called batch cooking, because I just saw the struggle that people had. And basically every recipe is is something that can be batch cooked. And also every recipe shows you how in 10 minutes the night before you can prepare for this recipe, whether it be just chop up the veg and have it in a bowl in the fridge or prepare the meat or whatever. So for example, with the pancakes, I just make that mix up for a good bed.

 

takes me two minutes. There’s no mess. Everything’s just thrown into one big jug mixed with a fork and thrown in the fridge. If you want to get up a little early, I get up at half six every morning. I probably could get away with getting up at quarter past seven, but that extra 45 minutes, it gives me time to myself to just wake up and think about the day. I suppose it gives me a chance to get the kids’ stuff organized. But yeah, I do a little bit of 10 minutes the night before, I know.

 

There’s no magic tricks to it. You just have to put the time in and I do find the night before.

 

Lucy Gernon (11:01.326)

I love that you say that as well. think one of the biggest things about, well, I know for me when it comes to cooking, like I only batch cook pretty much because it’s the clean up afterwards. It’s not the cooking. And I’m lucky I have my husband. I’m the cook and he does the cleaning. So that’s like suits me down to the ground. But the likes of the pancakes, they sound complicated, but actually if it’s just a joke, like that is nothing. That’s the same as scrambled eggs.

 

Sarah Butler (11:10.313)

yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (11:15.827)

Lucky you!

 

Sarah Butler (11:23.519)

It’s it’s literally, yeah, three spoons of sugar or three, three spoons of flour. And I have all my flour and tea bags of cereals in containers. And I think that’s another thing as well. Just get a little bit organized. I have my press. I don’t have a fancy pantry with fancy labeled jars. I have a press. I just did the shelf height so that when I got my jars, I have these plastic jars that size for like cereal and flour. Then they’re a little bit smaller for sugar and tea bags. And then I’ve got small, small ones for like bread soda and stuff.

 

So when I open my press, I love it. It’s my favorite thing. Like most women love to go and look in their wardrobe. I go and cam myself down by looking in my press because I can see everything. Even going on a food shop, I can open and go, okay, I need tea bags, I need cereal, I need, because I can see. But if you had say that flour in the back of a press, bagged up, oh, I don’t know how long it’s been there, you know, so that’s really important as well. And again, in batch cooking, I teach how to do your food shop, come home, take everything out of the plastic.

 

wash it, get it into your fridge. It’s a pain in the arse, but you will just spend the week going, my God, thank God I did that. That was just saving me so much time. Because you can open your fridge and you can go, okay, lunch, quick sandwich, the salad is washed, the tomatoes are washed. I forgot I have a cucumber because I can see it. It’s not hidden behind something else in the fridge. So I think that is probably the fundamental thing to get organized, is to have your produce.

 

your dry goods, your cupboard essentials, your fridge, have all of that sorted and organized. Even for the kids, like when my kids open the fridge, I’ll have like a big bowl of washed grapes there. I’m like, let’s just throw that where they can exactly see it before they go rooting for the cooking chocolate, which is literally the only chocolate I’ll have because they’ll eat the whole thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

 

Lucy Gernon (13:10.58)

in the house. Why do you think like, you know, there’s so much talk right now, you know, obviously I’m sure you know Sophie Morris, the nutritionist as well, and she’s doing lot of exposés on, you know, what we’re buying in supermarkets. Why do you think home cooked food is so important for like physical and emotional health as well?

 

Sarah Butler (13:20.375)

Yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (13:30.179)

Well, I mean, it’s been proven how beneficial it is to our mental health, what we eat. And I think we can all as parents relate to that with kids who have had a bag of skittles. You know how that affects them. You know, they’re bouncing off the walls. So we know that that food affects our mood because it’s linked to our gut. So it’s all back down to your gut health. So if you’re eating stuff that’s good for you and it’s home cooked and whole food.

 

your gut is happy and then that sends signals to your brain. Again, I’m not in any way qualified. It’s just from my own interest and doing my own research. And knowing myself, you know, people say to me, where do you get the energy? It’s diet, it’s all diet. So for kids, I think that’s really important. To be satiated in your appetite, you know, I don’t eat a lot because I’m not hungry, because I’m not eating food that makes me crave more food.

 

You know, it’s as simple as that.

 

Lucy Gernon (14:26.924)

Hmm.

 

Lucy Gernon (14:31.086)

You must get a lot of on Instagram, do you Sarah? I think I remember you a long time ago putting up a post or something where people were saying to you, like, you know, how can you eat all of that and be healthy? Like you’re using butter and all this kind of stuff. that’s like, that must be hard to deal with that, that kind of criticism.

 

Sarah Butler (14:43.651)

Mm-hmm.

 

Sarah Butler (14:48.867)

Well, you’re always going to have that. I suppose what I would say to people like that, knowledge is power. So always kind of get to know your facts before you judge something. I am known as the butter and full fat. I’m a brand ambassador for Connach Gold Milk and Dairy. Yeah, I will only use black butter and everything in moderation. And yeah, people say, gosh, do you eat your food at all? Of course I do.

 

Lucy Gernon (15:06.764)

I love coming to hold, it’s the best.

 

Sarah Butler (15:18.551)

but I eat it slowly. I eat the correct portion of it. I don’t eat cake every day. And I don’t use, where I use butter and cream in recipes, yes, but I don’t have buttery cream recipes every day. That’s my takeaway is the buttery creamy pasta dish. And obviously as you get older, you know, there’s so much out there. People are bombarded with eat this, don’t eat that. This is healthy. Actually, no, it’s not healthy.

 

Full fat block butter, of course, is going to be okay for a 42 year old woman whose cholesterol is perfect because my stress levels are low, I exercise, my mental health is good, everything, all the other boxes are being ticked, but I’m not sitting eating a block of butter. An 85 year old man or woman, obviously their cholesterol is going to be different to mine. So you have to adapt as you age. The menopause changes all those hormone levels. So it’s not as simple as black and white. What I can eat

 

somebody else may not be able to have good health with. So, you know, kind of have to have a little bit of common sense.

 

Lucy Gernon (16:21.998)

Hmm. I think what do is so good. That’s why I love following you, actually, because like you said, you’re a granny cook. You go back to basics. And if you think about like, you know, I always think like, you know, God provided us with the earth, the food that’s there and the less ingredients and something, the less preservatives, obviously it’s going to be better for your health. So while eating full fat butter, we may have been brainwashed by marketing to think that that’s a bad thing. Actually, it’s

 

Sarah Butler (16:30.339)

Mm-hmm.

 

Sarah Butler (16:36.546)

Yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (16:46.753)

Yeah. Yeah.

 

Lucy Gernon (16:48.97)

better than eating, you know, having a diet coke or, you know, something that you’ve been told is healthy because it’s pure and it’s natural and your body is designed to break it down,

 

Sarah Butler (16:52.119)

Of course.

 

Sarah Butler (16:58.785)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, that’s it. And you know, it is high in fats, whatever. But then you’ve got butters that have oils in them that aren’t great for us either. So, you know, it’s it’s everything in moderation. And I suppose is a really good for anyone who is interested in food and how it affects you. Look up Michael Pollan. He is just I would listen to his podcast all day. He’s a scientist. He writes about food.

 

He talks about in layman’s terms are really, you sometimes these guys that you don’t know what they’re saying. You’re like, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. He does it in an understandable way. And as he said, you know, a head of broccoli, it’s quite a simple food sitting there on the shelf. It’s just a head of broccoli or a carrot. Then you’ve got the aisles where it’s got a box and it’s got high in protein and it’s got low in fat and it’s got colors that are

 

It’s the graphic designer in me amazes me because I’m like, that’s really nicely designed. That’s clever marketing. I love marketing. I love design. So then you go, it’s the kids. It’s where things are placed in supermarkets. The consumers are been just it’s like it’s so difficult to get through. I literally go to the fruit and veg and dairy aisle and then cupboard essentials and I’m gone because if I went down those aisles, I’d be like, I want everything. look so pretty. then the kids.

 

Lucy Gernon (18:12.46)

I know.

 

Lucy Gernon (18:22.306)

I know.

 

Sarah Butler (18:25.155)

small kids, they’re going, mommy, can I have this, can I have that? Even stuff that’s targeted at kids like these yogurt drinks and yogurt stuff, you know, and it’s oh, high in calcium. And a of people just go, well, if it says it, must be. And I did that for so long. And it’s only that I have such an interest in food, in packaging and marketing, in how things are grown or not grown, processed.

 

but it’s the boxes and the words and all of that. But you’ve got that little head of broccoli sitting on the shelf since this was ever exist ago. And I don’t need any of that because that’s it is what it is. It is what it is. So try and avoid those jazzy boxes, packaging. And also they’re so expensive. You know, they really are.

 

Lucy Gernon (19:00.206)

I’m broccoli. I am broccoli.

 

Lucy Gernon (19:12.984)

Yeah, yeah. like, how do you, like, you you’re talking about the supermarkets and you’re talking about, you mentioned earlier on that the, like that creamy pasta is your takeaway. But I’m just wondering, like, how do you get your family excited by home cooking and stuff when there’s so much temptation around with fast food and eating out?

 

Sarah Butler (19:31.459)

Of course we get takeaways. Of course I bring them to McDonald’s the odd time or they love the super max nuggets or we’ll get a cheeseburger, whoever. But that’s all they’ve really known. I’ve always loved to cook. they’ve always… Now that’s not to say my two kids will sit down and eat shepherd’s pie. One will. Well, one will absolutely not. One will eat a chicken curry. The other has never had a chicken curry in her life.

 

There’s no mushy food, it has to be separate. So the way I work around that is three or four will have the chicken curry and she will then have, I just keep some chicken separate, pan fry that, you know, and she’ll have that with the rice and with veg that she likes. So I’m using the same ingredients, but you’re just cooking them a little bit differently. So I’m not sitting here saying I would love to be one of these mothers. And I saw one recently and she had about four kids and they all sat down to a big.

 

Lucy Gernon (20:16.044)

Yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (20:28.266)

stew. No questions asked. I suppose it was a bit like my house growing up. There six of us so it was like eat it or it’s going to be eaten. We’re probably worse as parents going you know okay you don’t want that okay we’ll give you this you know. So my kids do of course we have takeaways then I get them and I feel crap afterwards and I’m like I want to know how to bake that myself you know or you’re just so thirsty because there’s so much salt in them. So

 

Lucy Gernon (20:49.102)

That’s it.

 

Sarah Butler (20:56.866)

Yeah, I mean, my kids are like every other kid. They’ll say they don’t like this, they don’t like that. But it’s like, well, tough. That’s what’s for dinner. You can have some brown bread and cheese.

 

Lucy Gernon (21:05.262)

Yeah, and I love what you said there about like, you know, if you’re making the curry, you just pan fry the chicken and give them the rice. Because I think every everyone listen like I’m exactly the same with my kids. Like some of my kids, my daughter, my husband absolutely loves to but I just got to cook that I give that to them. I have it in the freezer and then maybe I’m having a stir fry with the other two kids. And maybe the other kid is having pasta like it doesn’t really matter. I don’t think you have, know, it’s great to hear you say that that it’s not about your cooking. It’s not about our cooking. It’s preference, isn’t it?

 

Sarah Butler (21:21.624)

Yeah. Yep. Yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (21:30.188)

gosh, yeah. No. Yeah, yeah, it is absolutely. And I mean, my two kids were brought up in the same house with the mother who cooked all the time and one will not eat a chicken curry or anything mushy. If it’s a lasagna, I keep a piece of mince, give her a burger. And they were raised in same house. So it must be a texture thing. I don’t know. I do find your kids as they’ve… Now she didn’t eat potatoes until she was about nine. I tried everything.

 

No, because it was that texture. So then she started to play rugby and is now mad into it and now walks around the house eating a potato cold like an apple. So I do say to people, no, cooked potato, a baked potato, and she’ll just eat it. and I just saw her one day going, I worried so much about getting carbs into you. It’ll come. And I say that to parents like, don’t be worrying. Try not to give them the sugary alternatives.

 

Lucy Gernon (22:10.754)

So relax.

 

Lucy Gernon (22:14.368)

Alright, Jesus Christ, I you meant…

 

Lucy Gernon (22:23.382)

And now you’re eating today.

 

Sarah Butler (22:30.006)

And then if they’re hungry enough and sport and fresh air, get them outside running. Kids nowadays are stuck in on devices. And sometimes it can be easier for people to just give them the packet nuggets or whatever. I get that. Like I’m a cook. My job is to cook all day. If I was working as a designer from nine until six and came home, I’m not going to have the same time I had, but I would have to put it into a day like a Sunday and batch cook like you do, Lucy, and say that’s in the freezer, you know. So you just have to be

 

really organized. think it’s the hardest time in history and I’m not saying that lightly, to be a woman. We’re working because we couldn’t wait to get out working which is fair enough but then we wanted to do everything. We can do it all you know and we have to be perfect and now we’re working, we’re raising kids.

 

Lucy Gernon (23:07.31)

Why do you think that?

 

Sarah Butler (23:22.174)

look at let’s call a spade a spade. We’re doing all the housework. We’re doing all the cooking. mean, I don’t know too many women whose husbands are at home making the dinner and cooking and cleaning the house and doing laundry and seeing what needs to be done. So we’re doing that as well. We don’t have the help that they had years ago. Years ago, know, was mumma was at home and maybe the granny is moving and help. It takes a village, but not everybody has a village. And then there’s this

 

level of perfectionism online with your perfect like people online with their, oh my god, can’t believe I’m the same age as her and I look 20 years older because they’re, you know, they’re perfect.

 

Lucy Gernon (24:01.914)

I think a of is one of us, like, because I used to be the same and now my husband does, he does a lot, like he does laundry, he does clean and he does that. He didn’t. But guess what? That’s not me because I didn’t ask for it or because I thought, oh, he’s not going to do it exactly how I like it done. So it’s OK. I’ll do everything. Well, I think when you get to a point where you’re just, well, I know I got to a point where I was like, hang on a minute. Like, why am I doing all of this?

 

Sarah Butler (24:07.183)

Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Yeah?

 

Sarah Butler (24:18.166)

I know. Yeah. Yeah.

 

Lucy Gernon (24:26.862)

Hell no. Now I have totally taken a step back and he probably doesn’t want to be in the house because I feel like I’ve done my time. You know, I’ve done my time.

 

Sarah Butler (24:27.096)

Yeah, I know. Yeah. Yeah.

 

Absolutely, yeah, and you have to get to that point and also I just don’t think men get it like they really are very simple creatures that you have to say Can you Hoover the kitchen? But we don’t do that. We’ll stomp her on the house in bad form for three days and they’re like what is wrong with her? Yeah So But that’s a hard it’s hard to get to that point I found that hard now I am getting there with

 

Lucy Gernon (24:49.368)

What’s wrong with her? Like, just ask me. But be okay when it’s passed on the way we want it. I think that’s the most important thing.

 

Sarah Butler (25:02.02)

Oh my God, there’s four weeks of laundry that has to be done and I have to just go, okay, it is not important today. I need to get this done today. You know, it can only do so much and I’ve learned saying no has been my superpower. I used to say, yes, yes. You coming into town tonight, the girls are all home. Yes. You know, whatever it may be.

 

Lucy Gernon (25:09.43)

Yeah, you can only do what you can do.

 

Sarah Butler (25:26.276)

whatever, we all know these things that you’re like, oh my God, I really don’t want to do that. Why did I say I do that? And I just said, no, actually I’m not. And it has become my superpower. Yeah, people.

 

Lucy Gernon (25:33.58)

Yeah, I think you’re right. As you get older, you’re just like, no, I’m just saying yes to me. I’m not saying yes to other people, please other people. just wanted to ask you that as well. obviously, like we’re we’ve been talking about, you know, you’re obviously the home cook extraordinaire. You’re using all the raw ingredients we were talking about. You know, I’m just making sure I’ve covered everything. We’re talking about fat cooking. We’re talking about school lunch boxes.

 

Sarah Butler (25:40.564)

Yeah. Yeah.

 

Lucy Gernon (25:59.884)

I suppose the only other thing I wanted to kind of ask you before we wrap up on the show is a little bit about, know, want to your presence online and on Instagram. were chatting before you came on on the show here today about like how difficult it can be sometimes with like, you know, trolls in your inboxes. And you mentioned somebody was asking you to share an event and then they blanked you because you didn’t. And I’ve had that people just send you random posts with no text like share it is share that. Tell us a little bit about the etiquette. So like say.

 

Sarah Butler (26:20.612)

Mm.

 

Lucy Gernon (26:28.152)

But people there who don’t understand, see you as an influencer and you’re there at their service. Like honestly, what’s the etiquette around it and what’s it like to be an influencer on Instagram?

 

Sarah Butler (26:33.048)

Yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (26:38.468)

Well, I suppose this is my business and you know some people have Pages as a hobby and they have a job besides so that’s fine So I look at this as my it is my business and I work with three brands I could be working with a thousand brands. I could be making so much money Lucy I Could be selling so much stuff, but I’m like no

 

I want to. I work with the brands I work with because I want to. I don’t have to because I have my own books and they’re my babies. But yeah, there’s a lot of people who are, can you send me that recipe? I’m like, it’s on my page. I can’t find it. Can you send it to me? And that’s fine if it’s somebody who is a follower that would message you a lot that you know is a good follower or they might even the way they ask.

 

Sarah, I’m so sorry and there’s no panic. That’s fine. But it’s people who have never liked anything, have never messaged you before and they just send these random requests. The sharing GoFundMe pages and charity events and general events. I get why people do it. They look at me and go, she’s got 240,000 followers. That’s going to sell it out. It’s not going to sell it out because my followers follow me for food and

 

They’re not going to be following me if every story is, you know, this go for me, this constant stuff. And it’s hard because, you know, people are sending you stuff with sick kids, with terminally ill people. But it’s a business page and it’s a food page. And if you do it for one, you will be bombarded. I donate to fundraisers myself. I spend my time posting books to

 

Lucy Gernon (28:25.581)

Yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (28:32.108)

raffle prizes where they’ll contact me and say, look, I don’t share, but I’ll gladly donate books that you can do in a raffle. That’s fine. I donate to charity myself. I don’t say that because even if you did, someone would say, I wouldn’t have done it not that charity. I would have done it to this charity. So you just can’t win. Yeah.

 

Lucy Gernon (28:49.23)

I think, no, you’re damned if you do, if you’re damned if you don’t. I think what people need to understand, like I have a way smaller account than Sarah, but I still get that. And people think, I think that they, nearly owe them something and you’re there on the other side of your phone 24 seven, waiting for messages. You’re there ready to share everything that they send. But Sarah said like, this is your business. Like, and I don’t think you owe your followers anything. You’re there creating free content. Like it’s completely free.

 

Sarah Butler (29:00.355)

Yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (29:07.342)

Yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (29:17.858)

Mmm. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

 

Lucy Gernon (29:18.968)

You’re walking through the steps, you’re sharing your tips, and I think people should really understand that there’s a human on the other side of that. Like there’s a real woman who has a family and who has all these other things going on. So just leave her alone. Leave her alone.

 

Sarah Butler (29:26.414)

Yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (29:31.02)

Yeah. Well, it’s it’s not even that. mean, people who message me like that out of the blue, I’m like, OK, whatever, you know, or somebody. Then sometimes things can be they can come across quite differently in text. So somebody might say something in the message and it might come across quite rude. And if you tackle them on it, they might go, well, I didn’t mean it that way. And that’s fine. And in fairness, I don’t get negativity on my page. You know, you’ll get some daft comments from

 

random people in the world on certain posts. Like recently I said, you know, a lazy day dinner, which was five minutes of chopping veg, marinate a bit of chicken and throw the whole lot in the oven with some rice and stock. And my gosh, the comments on that are so funny because it’s like, that’s not a lazy day dinner. What do you do on a day that you’re not feeling lazy? And they were like, you know, just put a pizza in the oven. I assume in majority were probably US people because

 

It was all like down to just go get a takeaway, just go get a pizza. And like, well, wow, you know, is that what’s down the road for the rest of us? And then you had so many people going, this was amazing. It took me 10 minutes to get it in the oven. So it’s not that I get negativity directly on my page. It’s just you think, you know, it’s like anyone who’s out there watching this that works in the public, with the public on a day to day basis. I’m no different from somebody who’s working in.

 

in Supervalue or somebody who’s working in the beauticians. I was in a beautician’s there recently and my jaw was on the floor with the level of rudeness that they have to put up with. And again, it’s this now, now, now. I want it now. So it’s not just influencers or people online. But one thing that does annoy me with people who are online, it’s like, well, you put yourself out there and like, what does that mean? Just because I’m online, I’m allowed, we’re all open to, well.

 

Lucy Gernon (31:04.769)

Yeah.

 

Lucy Gernon (31:21.282)

Yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (31:24.578)

You can say what you want about them because they’ve put themselves out there. You know, that’s like walking into an accountant’s office and saying to somebody, I really don’t like the colour of your hair and your voice is really annoying. And walking out and saying, well, you put yourself out there. It’s just… But then I think anyone who works with the public will agree. It has just gone to another level of anger. And it’s anger and it’s a reflection on them.

 

Lucy Gernon (31:41.582)

I know.

 

Lucy Gernon (31:49.07)

So yeah.

 

Sarah Butler (31:52.708)

At end of the day, just be nice, like Jesus. But a lot of people are angry and you just have to learn to not take it personally.

 

Lucy Gernon (31:55.65)

Yeah. Yeah.

 

Lucy Gernon (32:01.238)

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And it sounds like you’re in the game long enough now and you know who you are and what you’re about to do.

 

Sarah Butler (32:03.001)

Yeah.

 

I’d hate to be a 25 year old makeup artist going online setting up a page or you know an 18 year old who’s into fashion because they’re just waiting to pounce and I think anyone who shows that they work hard and are you know they’re not afraid to be themselves they’re just easy pickings so it’s a horrible place it’s becoming more and more toxic

 

Lucy Gernon (32:11.286)

I know.

 

Lucy Gernon (32:30.838)

Yeah, well, listen, mean, look, you just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re absolutely fantastic job. And thank you so much for all of your insights today. So many tips. Just before we finish up, Sarah, just two questions I always ask our guests. The first one is what does success, balance and happiness mean to you?

 

Sarah Butler (32:37.317)

Thank you.

 

Sarah Butler (32:44.345)

Mm-hmm.

 

Sarah Butler (32:49.605)

Success, happiness, balance. I suppose just being able to enjoy your life because you know it’s the balance I suppose as you said to be able to balance all of those things because if you get too head-on in your career your family life is slipping and it’s to enjoy, use it all three to enjoy your life because there’s so many…

 

people out there that are sick and that are going through really tough times. And I think when you have your health, we all think, I’ll do that when I’m retired. The way things are going and the stories you’re seeing every day, it’s like, booked a holiday for next week because I’m like, I’m out of here. I’m not waiting. I’m not waiting till I’m 65. Come on, let’s go. Because you just don’t know what’s around the corner. So it’s using what you love to do to make a living, but then to enjoy the money that you’re making.

 

to enjoy your family. So that will be, that will be, yeah.

 

Lucy Gernon (33:46.434)

Love that. Love that. Love that. And then finally, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

 

Sarah Butler (33:55.621)

The best piece of advice would probably be never give up and also you can do whatever you want to do but you don’t have to do something you don’t want to do. You know, my dad always said that. I remember one or two instances where I was like, I don’t really want to do it or I don’t really want to go. And he used to say, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. And it didn’t really stick until I was older. And then I’d be in a situation going, I don’t have

 

to go to that or whatever. But then you can also do whatever you want to do. And I suppose on my page, I have such a fantastic community of people that I don’t hate the word followers like I still go, why do people follow me? I’m really not that exciting. But they are just fantastic. And every day, I’ll get a little nugget from somebody or they’ll just say something and.

 

You know, they’re full of knowledge. The people that follow me are always so full of support and wisdom and not a piece of advice, but on a day to day basis, the community on my page, they’re just they make me smile every day. I’ll get messages and I do find myself smiling on. that’s so lovely because you do get to know a lot of them. So they’ll always just give you that little bit of inspiration that you might not realize you need it, you know.

 

Lucy Gernon (35:12.355)

Yeah.

 

Lucy Gernon (35:20.47)

Yeah, I think it’s like never. Yeah, never underestimate the power of sending a little message like I love that. Like you might just be just to say thanks or just to engage. means the world.

 

Sarah Butler (35:20.601)

because ultimately we’re all the same.

 

Sarah Butler (35:25.74)

Yeah

 

Sarah Butler (35:30.465)

Not even that, just even to say, Sarah, I’m thinking about cooking for the communion and there’s 40 people and I’m talking through it. And then afterwards, getting that message going, my God, it was amazing and everybody loved it. It’s like, wait, you just want to be able to give them a hug, you know, and you’ve never met this person in your life. So that all the time is just that’s energy, such great energy. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

 

Lucy Gernon (35:42.126)

It went amazing.

 

Lucy Gernon (35:47.832)

Yeah.

 

Lucy Gernon (35:54.54)

Yeah, can see you’re smiling. It’s why you do what you do. I love that. OK, so there were some words. Thank you so much for coming on the show. And where can people find you if they want to? I know we have your books. Where can we buy your books and where can we find them?

 

Sarah Butler (36:01.113)

Thank you!

 

Sarah Butler (36:05.803)

So yeah, Instagram, I am at Sarah Butler at home official and my website is Sarah Butler at home. And they’re my two spots. I’m on Facebook also, Sarah Butler and I’m on TikTok not so regularly, but Instagram is probably my best place.

 

Lucy Gernon (36:14.936)

terrible for him.

 

Lucy Gernon (36:22.542)

Amazing. Well, listen, guys, we will link Sarah’s details in the show notes. Sarah, thank you so much for being an amazing guest. I can’t wait to listen to this episode back. Yeah, that’s it. Thanks so much. Talk to you soon.

 

Sarah Butler (36:26.725)

Thank you Lucy. Brilliant. Thanks for having me. Bye everyone.