Sting and Trudie Styler: The Lake House Cookbook

Sting, né Gordon Sumner, is one of the rock music world's most respected musicians. His latest album, "Brand New Day," was released in the fall of 1999, in time for his 48th birthday. His wife Trudie Styler is an actress and a filmmaker. She has produced several films, including documentaries and the 1999 black comedy Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Last fall she published The Lake House Cookbook, co-written with family chef Joseph Sponzo.

Sting and Trudie Styler have been married since 1992 and together for a decade before that. They have been in the public eye since they met. Most of us can let our romance develop as it will, without too much input from the outside world. Celebrity romances, on the other hand, become very public affairs. They are under constant scrutiny, with advice, opinions, and judgements issued from the world. Such romances are invariably expected to fail. Sting and Trudie Styler have defied those low expectations and survived the trials of fame. A strong home base and a true sense of family-they have four children ranging in age from 4 to 16-have helped cement their relationship and contribute to their longevity.

Timothy White, editor-in-chief of Billboard magazine has known Sting since he first started in the Police, and has seen the romance with Styler from the start. "If I ever met two people, God, in 30 years of journalism who are soul mates, it's them," he says. "They're best friends, marvelously supportive of each other in an uncommonly grounded way. In the end-family or food or their own creative sparks-they are great appreciators."

Although Styler and Sting have abodes in London, Italy, and New York, home is Lake House in Wiltshire, England, a few miles from Stonehenge. Lake House not only inspired a cookbook, it inspired a marriage. The couple bought the 450-year-old, 40-plus-room manor house in 1991, spontaneously. They were living in London at the time, raising a family, and wanted a weekend house in the country. Styler writes in her cookbook, "Lake House was the first house we were shown-in fact the first I was shown, as Sting was touring in the U.S. at the time." Styler felt drawn to the place, despite the fact that much work was needed. "On that clear, cold, late-autumn day when I first saw Lake House, I was captivated by the romance of it all." Real-estate deadlines required an immediate offer to purchase. "I must have been very persuasive when I spoke to Sting that day," Styler notes, "Or maybe he could sense my certainty. But whatever it was that convinced him, with a tremendous leap of faith he agreed, and our lives were changed forever." When they bought Lake House they had been together nearly a decade and had three children.

Marriage was a sensitive issue. In an interview broadcast on VH1, Sting acknowledged, "We lived together for a good long while before I had the courage to get married again." He told The Times of London, "But then, in a romantic burst, I proposed, and Trudie said yes. At that point the idea became fun-and we're still enjoying it." Styler recalls that proposal: "We have a church we can see from our property and we went for a walk one day. Sting looked over at the church and said, 'I'm going to marry you in that church, Trudie Styler.'" Her response? "Good," she said. That was in February of 1992; they were married the following August. As for the wedding, Styler says, "I'm a producer-the ultimate control freak. Planning the wedding was like making a movie, really. Sting was not involved in the planning. But he was very clear that he wanted to lead me down our drive on a dapple-gray mare."

While living in the country, Styler became very passionate about organics. "Our government and food industry have betrayed us on a grand scale with the amount of pesticides used, and I wanted to make a statement." With the help of hired farmers and gardeners, they set up a working farm on their property. The Lake House farm produces meat, poultry, trout, milk, eggs, cheese, honey, and numerous fruits and vegetables. Sting told Architectural Digest, "Being able to feed yourself is real wealth."

"The kitchen is our favorite place to eat," says Trudie Styler. "Our schedules shift around, but we try to eat dinner with the children." She notes that when she and Sting were first together, she cooked a lot more. But seven years ago they hired chef Joseph Sponzo. Styler admits to being intimidated by his expertise. Nonetheless, she says, "My husband claims to like me to cook for him. And I still will. Everyone loves the breakfasts I make. I make a very good English breakfast-good old eggs and bacon-only the bacon now is home-raised. Then there is my crowning glory-the Trudie Styler special: my mushrooms. I sauté them with garlic and lemon."

Styler describes her commitment to organic farming in detail in The Lake House Cookbook. The book is filled with color photos and recipes ranging from the basic to the elegant, with whimsical twists. Styler's favorite dish is one of the simplest, Spaghetti al Aglio et Olio, pasta tossed with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper. Sting's favorite is Spiced Squash Soup. In Q magazine, Sting said of the collection of recipes he helped taste-test, "There's a lot of love gone into this book. And a lot of calories." All of them delicious. Written by Lisë Stern. Photography: Fabrizio Ferri