Projects & Case Studies

Interview with Dr Rupy Aujla

Discover the studio where Dr Rupy brings his ideas and recipes to life. Featuring Smeg’s 50’s style appliances as well as the sleek built-in range.

ABOUT

DR Rupy is an NHS medical doctor and founder of The Doctor's Kitchen – a platform dedicated to teaching people how to cook their way to health with delicious recipes, tailored to their personal needs. Dr Rupy holds a passion for cooking healthy recipes with fantastic, fresh ingredients and showcases this across multiple cookbooks and TV appearances.

You can check out more from Dr Rupy and The Doctor’s Kitchen on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and X

THE INTERVIEW

Tell us more about your kitchen studio. What kind of space were you aiming to create and what was important to you?

I wanted to create a space that felt like home for The Doctor’s Kitchen team, which is important for setting the scene in videos and the podcast too. It needed to evoke the ethos and brand values of The Doctor's Kitchen which is not only to educate and equip people with the means to look after their own health with food, but also to be joyful, pleasurable and see cooking as a fun activity! Smeg has embodied this in the best way possible with its pastel retro colourways. Our FAB32 fridge in pastel pink is the perfect element for creating a space where cooking can feel colourful and pleasant.

What made you choose Smeg appliances for your new space?

Smeg has an undeniable history behind cooking and creating appliances with this in mind – not to mention its joyful nature too. Its recognisable and iconic and that’s exactly what we want our studio to be known for as well as a space that feels familiar with statement pieces like the small appliances but also quite different to other brand’s development kitchens.

Do you have a favourite Italian dish? How would you re-create it to suit your healthy lifestyle?

My wife is Italian and comes from the Northern area so we cook a lot of Italian dishes at home – especially those that include lots of meats, cheese and other dairy produce. When I cook I like to also take inspiration from the South of Italy – I love Puttanesca with cooked-down tomatoes, it’s a simple dish to which I can add plenty of healthy greens as well as olive oil and pine nuts! It’s a great way to introduce healthy fats and carbs like whole-grain pasta.

What sort of smoothies have you been trying out in your Smeg Personal Blender?

At The Doctor's Kitchen, we have been using the personal blender a lot for making small batches of sauces but when I do get inspired to create a smoothie, I tend to go for a savoury blend which includes peanut butter, cinnamon, hemp seeds with added collagen, a vegan protein and a little bit of water. You can also switch the water out for different plant-based milks. Combined together it makes a healthy smoothie alternative for those who need to control their glucose levels and are looking to quickly recover after a morning workout.

We know how important a healthy lifestyle is to you, how have Smeg appliances helped you with maintaining this?

The Victoria double oven allows us to develop and cook recipes throughout the day without wasting lots of energy – it’s essential for us! The induction hob is brilliant at energy saving too and means we can use all the right cooking techniques like sautéing and roasting which is a better option when using healthy fats like olive oil.

How has the Smeg blender impacted food preparation in your kitchen? Is there anything that’s surprised you?

It’s an extremely powerful little tool and has a very large capacity! Its ability to blend ingredients so easily took me by surprise. We recently created a delicious, wholesome green curry which involves blending up spinach, peas, lentils, spices and vegetable stock to create the perfect base. The Smeg Jug Blender made it a seamless process.

Lastly, what type of new dishes are you most excited to try cooking in your Smeg built-in ovens?

We have plans this year to create a variety of delicious dishes but most recently we tried out Spiced Celeriac Chips as a delicious snack alternative. They baked beautifully in the oven and turned a golden brown colour with the perfect crunch.