For Dragons' Den investor and entrepreneur Sara Davies, some of her most cherished childhood memories revolve around food and family traditions. The 41-year-old businesswoman, who grew up near Durham, has opened up about the culinary experiences that shaped her life, from her mother's Christmas baking to university cheesy chips that saved her from hangovers.
Childhood Comforts and Family Traditions
Sara's earliest food memory involves her mother making Christmas cake while she and her sister watched The Snowman on television. To keep the children quiet during this festive preparation, their mother would give them small wedges of marzipan, creating a tradition that Sara still fondly remembers today.
Growing up in a household where her mother handled all the cooking, Sara was raised on proper, traditional English food. Her mother specialised in dishes that could be prepared in a slow cooker, with beef and Guinness stew being a particular family favourite. The family dynamic shifted temporarily when her mother pursued Open University studies, leaving Sara's father in charge of meals for a week. God love him, he had no clue, Sara recalls, resulting in nightly trips to McDonald's during that period.
From School Dinners to Grandma's Privileges
School meals left a distinct impression on the future business star. She remembers everything being served in green plastic containers and lengthy queues for desserts like cake with custard or semolina. While she describes the food as somewhat sloppy, she acknowledges that it provided the necessary fuel to get through the school day.
The approach to sweets in her childhood home was notably measured. While raisins were available in unlimited quantities, sweets were strictly rationed. This makes it particularly amusing to Sara that now, as a grandmother to Sara's sons Oliver and Charlie (aged 11 and nine), her mother always carries Cadbury's Buttons in her handbag. When Sara questioned this change, her mother simply explained it as Grandma privilege.
Despite her generally adventurous palate, Sara admits to one particular food aversion: tomatoes in their raw or cooked whole form. While she enjoys tomato soup, ketchup, and sauces, she finds the texture of whole tomatoes off-putting.
Cooking, Career and Comfort Foods
Sara enjoys cooking when she's not under pressure, particularly relishing the opportunity to prepare Christmas dinner for a house full of guests. She takes pleasure in the preparation the night before and waking up early to put the turkey in the oven. Her dedication extends to making bread sauce, even though she acknowledges that only she and her mother actually eat it.
The entrepreneur has perfected what she describes as a mean lasagne and a lovely side of salmon, though she jokes about her limited repertoire when entertaining. Vegetarian friends present a particular challenge, with her husband providing blunt feedback on her attempts at meat-free alternatives.
Her university days involved what she calls cooking in the loosest sense of the word. Equipped with budget frying pans and saucepans from a pound shop, she and her friends survived largely on pasta. The quality of their meals directly correlated with their student loan status, progressing from pasta with nice sauces at the beginning of term to pasta with butter and minimal cheese by the end.
During her time on Strictly Come Dancing, Sara introduced her professional partner Aljaž Škorjanec to local Teesside delicacies, ensuring he sampled a chicken parmo alongside his preferred oysters at The Scruffy Duck restaurant in Norton.
As Sara approaches perimenopause, her dietary focus has shifted toward protein-rich foods like Greek yogurt and cottage cheese. She also incorporates a special sea-moss gel into her smoothies and spaghetti bolognese for its health benefits.
Filming Dragons' Den in Manchester city centre revealed different dining preferences among the investors. While some favoured Pizza Express or sushi, Sara preferred eating with the crew. On occasions when the Dragons dined together at The Ivy, she and Steven Bartlett once shared a substantial wagyu steak that she took home to avoid waste.
Her ultimate comfort food remains her mother's pulled pork, served in buns during family gatherings where everyone finds whatever seating they can while the grandchildren play. For her hypothetical last supper, Sara would choose a substantial Thai takeaway featuring green curry and other dishes, but nothing too spicy.
Sara Davies continues to blend her business acumen with family values, and viewers can catch her on Sara Davies' Christmas Craft Off, airing Fridays at 2pm on ITV1.
