Carrie Hope Fletcher loves food and admits “I am a real foodie although I must confess I know very little about food”.

One of the brightest stars in musical theatre she has appeared in some of the biggest productions over recent years, not least Les Misérables and the lead in in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella. Now Carrie is on a year long tour playing the title role in Calamity Jane.

In such a demanding role Carrie is hardly ever off stage so she needs to keep her energy levels. “I don’t have a set eating regime when touring but I have to be careful what I eat when its near performance time especially in Calamity as I have to wear a corset in the second act.”

Carrie always starts her day with brunch. “I am a brunch person. I tend to step away from the chain eateries and look for somewhere different that has a different or unusual brunch menu in whichever town or city I am in”.

“The rest of the day I just eat what I fancy. After the show I tend to have a hearty soup and a crispy roll – You just cannot beat it”

“ When you are in theatre digs it is difficult to start cooking a meal as you are not in your own kitchen but someone else’s . Often its one with few pots and pans and hasn’t got all the ingredients that you have at home like salt and oil”.

But on Sundays and Mondays when Carrie goes home she loves to cook and is quite renown for her Shepherds Pie. “I must admit its always an absolute winner with everyone and I’m often asked for the recipe”.

“One of my favourite foods though is Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. I first tasted this when I went to a Disney Press Launch for Brave in a Scottish castle. There was caber tossing and highland dancing and we ate in a big marquee. This dish just blew my mind away and although people joke about Haggis it was just so delicious”.

As a child Carrie used to love to help her mother bake. “We had a large apple tree in our back garden and I remember helping to make pies and crumbles which started my love of baking”.

Carrie is mum to Mabel her 13 month old daughter. “I am looking forward to the day when she gets older and I can make special cakes for her”.

Carrie’s most memorable meal stems from just after Mabel was born. “I was in hospital and after giving birth they brought me some hot buttered white toast – it was the best thing I had ever tasted and ended up asking for more and in the end I ate five slices”.

Image: Pixabay

One of Carrie’s favourite things to bake is Millionaires Shortbread

I found the recipe on the back of a tin and now my family and friends won’t let me in the house at Christmas with it.

Ingredients

For the base: Shortbread biscuits, crushed 250g; Unsalted butter melted 55g.

For the Caramel: Dark brown soft sugar 150g, Unsalted butter melted 150g; Carnation Condensed Milk 397g;

For the topping: Dark Chocolate 200g; White Chocolate 55g

You will also need 20cm brownie tin, lined with baking parchment with extra paper overhanging the edges.

Method:

Add the crushed biscuits to a large mixing bowl and pour over the 55g of melted butter. Mix it together thoroughly until it resembles wet sand and decant into the lined tin. Spread the mix eventually across the base of the tin and press the mixture down firmly (don’t forget to get right into the corners) Pop in the fridge to chill.

If you are in a hurry you can also put the tin in the freezer to chill and set each layer. Use extra baking parchment to hang over the edges of the tin as you’ll be able to lift your finished receipt out with ease.

Gently east the sugar and 150g butter in a heavy based, non stick pan, stirring until melted. Add the condensed milk and bring to a rapid boil, stirring continuously. Cook for around a minute or until the filling has thickened. Pour the caramel over the base then allow to cool. Once cooled chill in the fridge or freeze until set.

Melt the chocolate in separate bowls. Pour dark chocolate over the caramel and then add spoonfuls of melted white chocolate. Swirl together with a spoon for a marbled effect that will ensure your recipe looks as good as it tastes.

Place back in the fridge to chill until set. Once set, remove from the tin, dip a sharp knife into hot water – this makes it easier to cut and then dry it briefly before using it to cut the shortbread into squares.

The scrumptious squares will keep for up to two weeks if you put them in an airtight container and pop them in the fridge.

Calamity Jane is at York Grand Opera House from 29th April to 3rd May more information here

and also visits

Liverpool Empire. Tue 22 Apr - Sat 26 Apr 2025.
Sheffield Lyceum Tue 10 – Sat 14 Jun
Blackpool Winter Gardens Tue 24 Jun to Sat 28 Jun
Hull New Theatre 22 Jul - 26 Jul 2025
The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford 2 Sep 2025 - 6 Sep.