191 The Creative British Nan and Her Cake That Came Full Circle

The Storied Recipe

191 The Creative British Nan and Her Cake That Came Full Circle

October 01, 2025

Imagine yourself standing in an English garden, peeking through a small kitchen window into a cozy kitchen. Once you’re close enough, you may even catch the faint strains of Bing Crosby on the radio. A small blonde boy and his sister sit at the table — a blue table, on a blue floor — a surprising color choice, but one that will later make sense when you learn you’re looking into the kitchen of an artist. The little boy and his sister are engrossed in their projects while their Nan takes a loaf out of the oven — and puts another in. Only then do you notice three loaves already cooling on the counter. The old woman says something to the little boy, and his face lights up as he proudly holds out his modeling clay project to his Nan.

This little boy was Sam Harris, who grew up to mirror his Nan in some of the best ways, perhaps more than he even realizes. She owned a business; he’s a serial entrepreneur (and working now on one of my favorite podcasts — more on that later). She was an artist; he is a musician. And she had a gift for making Sam and his cousins feel seen, special, and supported. Speaking personally, I’m in a community where I get to see (and benefit from!) that same gift in Sam today — a thoughtful, humble way of encouraging others.

In today’s episode, we explore all of this through a simple Pineapple Cake — “Sam’s Cake,” as his family called it. The cake was his Nan’s attempt to heal his troubles with food and to instill her old-fashioned values through nurture rather than control.

Most of all, this episode offers a new take — an inversion, if you will — on the old adage “It’s better to give than to receive.”

Sam’s Pineapple Cake tells the story of a family, their matriarch, the values she passed on, and the ways she received the gift of those values in return.

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191 The Creative British Nan and Her Cake That Came Full Circle

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