Dominique Woolf’s Guide to Effortless Thai Cooking
Dominique Woolf, a culinary innovator, shares her Thai-inspired cooking journey, favourite ingredients, and tips for hosting, emphasising simplicity and bold flavours that cater to busy family life.
Meet Dominique Woolf, a dynamic food writer and entrepreneur whose culinary journey is as rich and diverse as her heritage. Born in Saudi Arabia to an English father and a Thai mother, Dominique’s multicultural background deeply influences her cooking style, which celebrates the bold flavours of East and Southeast Asian cuisine. After a successful career in music, she pivoted to the culinary world, launching The Woolf’s Kitchen and quickly gaining recognition for her innovative sauces and condiments. Her debut cookbook, Dominique’s Kitchen, became a Sunday Times bestseller, followed by her latest work, The Asian Pantry. In this interview, Dominique shares insights into her culinary inspirations, her favourite ingredients, and her approach to cooking for her family.
Who taught you to cook?
My mum and auntie who are both Thai taught me a lot. I learnt how to make satay sauce and various Thai curries from my mum, and Auntie Dang showed me dishes like Pad Se Ew as well as how to make her incredible tamarind sauce. The taught me the importance of always tasting and balancing flavours as you go.
What has your first job in hospitality?
I’m self-employed so never worked in hospitality as such (not including pubs when I was 18!). My first food-related job was writing a monthly recipe for a small health and wellness blog. It was great experience and really helped me hone my recipe writing skills. I then started working on my food business Woolf’s Kitchen in 2019 before launching in 2020
Current role?

The book is available on Amazon.
Follow Dominique Woolf at Instagram
I wear lots of different hats!
I am the founder of Woolf’s Kitchen – a range of award-winning chilli oils, hot sauces and pastes inspired by my Thai roots. I launched into Co-op two years ago and have just launched my whole range into Ocado which is an amazing step for me
I’m also a food writer – I won The Great Cookbook Challenge TV show in 2022 and my first book, Dominique’s Kitchen, came out in 2022 and was a Sunday Times Best-seller. My second book, The Asian Pantry, came out in June.
In addition to this I also create content and do brand campaigns and have just written a piece in The Times travel about my trip to Thailand.
What is your favourite ingredient? Why?
I use my Chilli Crunch pretty much every day and couldn’t live without it!
I also love tamarind – I may not use it every day but it adds a really unique tangy flavour to dishes and is used a lot in Thai cuisine.
Which is your favourite season (for culinary reasons)?
I love the summer. So much fresh, vibrant produce.
Your most important piece of kitchen equipment?
I love my fine Microplane grater for ginger.
Which restaurant(s) do you like to eat on your days off?
I love Farang in Islington and really enjoyed Speedboat Bar in town as well
What do you cook at home?
I mostly cook Asian-inspired dishes and make a lot of quick stir-fries and curries
Is there anything you won’t eat?
I’ll try most things but not so keen on deep fried food. I do like a bit of tempura occasionally but I’m not a lover of fish and chips! (Sorry!)
What are your tips for hosting a dinner party at home?
Personally I like to prep as much as possible before people get here so I can entertain not cook
If you were in the condemned cell, what would you chose as your last meal?
It would be Thai food for sure. To start I would have charred moo ping and satay along with some miang kham. For mains I would have a southern Thai crab curry with pomelo & prawn salad on the side. And for dessert I would have a sticky toffee pudding with ice cream (not Thai but one of my faves)