Chef Daisy Darling: A Culinary Tapestry

In 2011, at the age of nineteen, Chef Daisy Beale left her life in England to call Thailand her new home. There she thrived, met like-minded people, ran her own restaurant, and found her place in a new world. A decade later, after exploring Bali, as well, Daisy returned to London, ready to bring her experiences to her next culinary adventure in the city she was ready to call home again.

She began “Magic Momo,” her residency at the infamous Nam Long Le Shaker, a cocktail bar and restaurant in South Kensington known for its extravagant drinks, celebrity clientele, and eccentric past. The late owner, Thai Dang, allegedly refused service to Prince William because he was wearing the wrong shoes, and refused Mick Jagger because he arrived after the kitchen had closed. The current owner, Dang’s daughter Dzuyen, was looking for something fresh and new, and Daisy was the perfect fit.

Daisy and Dzuyen connected creatively as a team. A six-month residency has become permanent, transforming Nam Long into a true foodie destination: a unique, high-end Pan-Asian dining experience showcasing Daisy’s signature dishes.

Daisy is wearing DEBUTE

What does the word home mean to you emotionally, spiritually, creatively?

To me, home is a feeling, not a place. I left my childhood home in England at 19 to live in Thailand, and I felt more at home there than I ever did growing up. Thailand offered me a sense of freedom I had been searching for.

Has your definition of home changed over time?

Not really. I’ve always believed home is a feeling. But I will say that since returning to England after years abroad, I’ve come to appreciate the comfort of being in my home country, close to family, without the looming fear of being forced to leave. During the pandemic, the visa situation got more and more difficult, and I was suddenly faced with potentially having to leave my entire life. So while I still don’t see home as a physical place, I’ve grown to value and appreciate stability in a new way.

Daisy is wearing Vespertine

In your work, do you consciously explore the theme of home, or does it show up unintentionally?

It definitely shows up in my food. When I lived in Thailand, I missed my mum and my nan’s Indian home cooking, so I taught myself how to make it, and within a year, I opened an Indian restaurant on the small island of Ko Phayam. That nostalgia, that longing for comfort and identity, was the catalyst. And when I moved back to England, I started a food brand that reflects my love for South and Southeast Asian cuisines. So

yes, home is all over my cooking, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.

Can you share a recipe that you feel most captures the feeling of home?

Not really a recipe, but the smell of garlic, coriander, lime, and chilli just reminds me of Thailand and has come to be my favourite flavouring. I add it to everything. When I can’t think of what to cook, I put a load of things in the oven, it can be anything from salmon to potatoes, and pour that dressing over it.

What is your earliest memory of feeling “at home”?

It was when I first arrived on Koh Phayam in Thailand. I was surrounded by open- minded, creative, interesting people, and I remember thinking, “This is my place. I belong here.” I had felt fine in England, but that was the first time I really felt at home.

Do you think home is a place, a person, a feeling or all three?

It can be all three, but for me, it’s mostly a feeling. A sense of safety, freedom, and belonging.

Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong? How did that shape your work?

As a teenager, definitely. I wasn’t made to feel like I didn’t belong in England, it wasn’t anything external, I just had this deep, idealistic desire to leave. I thought there must be something more for me elsewhere. And while that journey was deeply valuable, I’ve come full circle and now have a new appreciation for my life in London.

Have you lived in multiple places or cultures? How has that shaped your sense of home?

It made my food deeply personal. Every place I’ve lived, from Thailand to Bali to back in England, has left a mark on how and what I cook. It’s a tapestry of all those experiences. Thailand especially shaped me. I spent 11 formative years there. I grew up there. But even paradise comes with struggles. After a few tough years, coming back to England and being close to my family again was grounding. I let myself embrace it as home in a way I hadn’t really done before.

Is there a place you return to in your mind or in your art when you need grounding?

Not a specific place, no. But sometimes I’ll cook a dish that reminds me of a certain moment or person, and that gives me grounding in an emotional way.

How do you carry home with you when you’re away from it?

Through food. Through memories. Even when I’ve been far away, the act of cooking something familiar, something that reminds me of my mum or a dish I used to eat on the

island has kept me rooted.

When creating, do you aim to build a sense of home for the diner or for yourself?

It’s probably both, but it starts with me. My menus are always personal; they reflect the places, cultures, and memories that have shaped me. But the hope is that something in there resonates with whoever’s eating it, that it sparks a memory or a feeling of comfort in them too.

Are there ingredients, colors, or textures that feel like “home” to you?

Coriander, lime, garlic, chilli. Also the fragrance of lemongrass and kaffir lime brings me straight back to Thailand.

How do you navigate between the personal and the universal in expressing something as intimate as home?

I think food does that naturally. It’s so personal, but it’s also something we all relate to. We’ve all had a dish that brought us comfort or brought us back to a moment in time. I just try to be honest in what I create, and trust that people will feel that sincerity.

What advice would you give to someone who is searching for their sense of home?

Don’t expect it to look like anyone else’s version of home. Home is more of a concept than a geographical location.

If your art could say one thing about home, what would it be?

That home doesn’t have to be where you started. It can be something you build, bit by bit, with the people, places, and meals that shape your life.

You selected a collection of your Grandmother’s old cookbooks as your heirloom for the photo shoot. You mentioned that you value the history behind dishes, especially in relation to family. Can you elaborate?

These cookbooks are from when my grandmother was growing up in colonial India, and one of them even belonged to my great-grandmother. They’re more than just recipes to me; they’re pieces of family history, carefully preserved and passed through generations of women in my family.

I never experienced life in India firsthand, but these books give me a glimpse into what it might have felt like. The ingredients, the handwriting, the notes in the margins, they’re full of stories. Cooking from them feels like a conversation across time, and it’s one of the few ways I’ve been able to connect with that part of my identity and heritage. They remind me that food isn’t just about flavour, it’s about memory, survival, creativity, and

family. These recipes are a link to where I come from, and they definitely influence how I think about food today.

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Talent: Daisy Darling

Photographer: Dasza Wasiak

Interview by Mindy Molinary

Image Curator: Domino Leaha

Producer: Elizabeth Bernet

Hair & Make up: Reve Cheuk-Yin Lau

On-Set Assistant: Martina Sambruna

Location: Magic Momo at Nam Long Le Shaker

Wearing DEBUTE and Vespertine