Florence Pugh's Appetite for Life, and English Delicacies, is Limitless

January 17, 2020

It's been a whirlwind few months for 24-year-old actress Florence Pugh, who received Oscar, BAFTA, and Critic's Choice Award nominations for her breakout role as Amy, the internet's new favorite March sister, in the Greta Gerwig–directed Little Women.

The pace has been hectic ever since Pugh's Oscar nomination was announced on Monday morning, but since then, she's been able to unwind a little. Vogue caught up with her for a truly ambitious endeavor in which she set out to sample 12 classic English dishes.

Pugh's appetite is as energetic as her acting style, as she proves while tucking into everything from a full English breakfast—black pudding included—to a Scotch egg and Cornish pasties. (Also on the menu: shepherd's pie and fish and chips.) While she dines, Pugh shares some tidbits about growing up in Oxford and demystifies something that is known locally as "bubble and squeak": "The idea behind bubble and squeak is that it's usually the day after a roast, and there's leftovers. Mashed potato, cabbage, meat if you have it, and you put it in the pan and fry it."

Pugh is an avowed home cook, and while she might profess to being a tzatziki lover on her Instagram, what you might not know is that she's also an extremely committed ketchup aficionado, unruffled even after she spills a drop on, say, a pristine Edwardian sleeve. That might seem a big deal to some, but not to this dedicated proponent of that everyday tool, the Tide pen; she keeps one in every house and every handbag. Et voilà—crisis averted!

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