Carrie On Cooking

We nipped along to FameAcademy coach Carrie Grant's house to join in a
spot of brownie baking with her kids. It all got a little bit messy...

It's pandemonium in the Grant household. Fame Academy coach Carrie Grant is in the kitchen trying to calm down her kids, Olivia, 12, Talia, 5, and baby Imogen, one. Talia is standing on a chair and hasn't stopped screaming 'I love chocolate! I love chocolate!' for the past five minutes. It's been chaos since thier mum uttered the word 'brownie' this afternoon, when she decided they would have a big baking session. But this is no ordinary baking sesh, this is in aid of red nose day.

They've chosen the brownie recipe from Jamie Oliver's little book of big treats - and frankly we think it's agood choice.

Like the rest of the house, the ultra-modern kitchen in thier big north London home is spotlessly clean, but friendly - there are kids drawings and school letters pinned to the fridge. And you can tell this is the home of music bods: there's a huge cupboard stacked with CDs - everything from pop to rock.

Carrie may wear the trousers in the music studio where she's been training celebs to sing for this year's Fame Academy, but Talia wears the trousers (or pyjamas in this case - she's ready for bed) in the kitchen. If there's a Gorden Ramsay in this household it's her, minus the swearing of course. While Carrie tries to delegate the tasks like egg-whisking, ingredient measuring and chocolate melting between the kids, Talia has already made a start. As the ambitious madam measures the flour, she manages to get more on the floor than on the scales. Carrie's not impressed. 'Keep on like that and i'll send you to the naughty step,' she threatens her daughter. Now that's more like the
Carrie we know.

'Cooking with my kids is much harder than training pupils for FA, because i want them to have fun in the kitchen and experiment, but you can't really do that,' she says, feeling guilty for snapping at Talia.

The Grants obviously love gadgets - there are smoothie and expresso machines, a bread maker and a blender decorating the work surfaces. 'We spend loads of time in here,' Carrie says. 'Food's a big part of our lives.' Talia, face covered in flour (her own doing) looks lovingly at the bowl of goo she's mixing and nods in agreement.

'Everything we buy is organic and fairtrade, we always look at where it comes from.' but it seems Talia isn't the only budding chef, according to her mum. 'Olivia's a good cook, she even does her own smoothies,' Carrie says proudly. Her eldest is quick to boast about her culinary achievements. 'I make omlettes, eggs, fried eggs and scrambled eggs.' Sounds like breakfast at the Grant's could be grand.

The brownie mix is done and Carrie pours it into the baking tray and pops it into the oven - which looks like it's baked more than a few cakes in it's time.
While Carrie's back is turned, Olivia swipes the prized chocolate coated spoon from one of the bowls and takes a lick, then smiles, showing chocolate-y teeth.

Baby Imogen is sitting quietly on the floor, until her two big sisters decide it would be funny to decorate her face with a smear of flour here and a blob of chocolate there. At this moment, fellow Fame Academy voice coach - and Carrie's husband - David walks into the kitchen, and judging by the look on his face he probably wishes he hadn't... He gasps at the sight of Imogen, who
looks more like a chocolate Picasso than his cute baby daughter. He bends down to her level and says pitifully, 'I'm sorry darling.'

Then the oven's alarm bell sounds, which means the brownies are ready. The kids can't wait to see how they have turned out - so much so, Carrie has to physically hold them back from the hot oven. Like a true domestic goddess, Carrie leaves the tray of goodies on the worktop to cool. Although the kids are too impatient and beg thier mum for a taste. Then all of a sudden there's silence in the room as they each scoff a cake. Chocolate and peace and quiet? Carrie is in heaven.