Sophie Conran

Sophie Conran is an English interior designer, cook and author.

Conran is the daughter of designer and restaurateur Sir Terence Conran and food writer Caroline Conran, the sister of fashion designer Jasper Conran, restaurateur Tom, artist Edmund and product designer Sebastian.

After leaving school at 17, Conran worked as an apprentice for couture milliner Stephen Jones before joining the fashion team at the studio of her brother Jasper. Following this thorough immersion in the fashion world, Conran interior-designed apartments and show flats in the Butler's Wharf development and overhauled the Design Museum Shop's collections where she also acted as a buyer. At the same time, she worked as a buyer for The Conran Shop and eventually launched her own store 'Wong Singh Jones' (W11).

Aged 20, Conran bought her Bayswater flat, then a cluster of bed-sits, and then reunited the rooms, renovated. Shown to friends and family, private interior design commissions followed.

On returning to the United Kingdom, Conran worked for her father accessorising his restaurants whilst renovating a dilapidated farm in Devon, rearing pigs and growing vegetables. After a few years she returned to work for as a Colour Director and then as a Product Manager in a variety of areas. She helped with Jasper's Sackville Street townhouse store before the 2005 opening.

Sophie Conran Pies, a collection of pies launched in 2004 -winners of 4 Fine Food Awards in 2005 – were not her first foray into the food world. In her twenties Conran created a supper club and then collaborated with brother, Tom. Together they set up a catering company, an experience that helps in her role as patron for Breakthrough for Breast Cancer's Breakthrough Banquet initiative.

Conran's debut cookbook – Pies – was published in November 2006 by HarperCollins (£12.99), and was a success, with a mini version entitled Easy Pies later released. Her second book, Soups and Stews, was published by Collins in October 2008 and a further cookery book is in the pipeline. She has written food & entertaining stories for many UK titles including InStyle and Living, etc., and for the last two years has been a contributing editor to Junior magazine.

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