"I couldn't have done it without help"- Maggie Beer

The past three years have not been easy ones for Maggie, but family, community, her husband of 53 years, Colin, and of course food – always good food – have seen her through

- SAMANTHA TRENOWETH

Maggie Beer is a good woman. If you cracked her open like a perfect free-range egg, you would find goodness in her soul. The Weekly’s food director, Fran Abdallaoui, says what she admires most about Maggie is that everything she does – from championing local growers and seasonal produce to developing better food for our elders – is grounded in a sense of kindness, conscience, generosity and care.

When I mention this to Maggie, she laughs self-consciously, but when pressed to explain why she is this way, she begins thoughtfully, “I think it comes from life … I think it comes from life and from your parents. Having empathy is really important. Also, I was brought up in an interesting time, when things were … simpler and the ethics were entrenched. The philosophy of the way you treat animals and the seasonality of vegetables – that was part of my growing up. You add that to a passion for food and flavour – beautiful food every day – and people and empathy.

“I inherited from my father this natural ability to cook. I’ve never been taught. I just know. That came from him. From my mother, I inherited the joy in life every day. Even through the hard times. So I was lucky in many ways. And my love of music – what that does for a person. You couldn’t possibly be nasty to anyone if you love music.”

Maggie hails from a family of music lovers and singers, and 18 years ago she founded a community choir which she sings with to this day.

“My father had a beautiful voice. My aunt and my uncles – everyone singing,” she remembers. “I was brought up with classical music. My beautiful mum had the worst voice in the world. Everyone would say, ‘Doreen, please stop.’ So somehow my brothers and I never tried to sing.