Cloake grew up in Hertfordshire; her father was a John Lewis executive and her mother taught French.
[3] Cloake attended Rugby School[4] before studying English at St Peter's College, Oxford.
[5] Cloake is best known for her weekly How to cook the perfect... column in The Guardian, starting online in 2009 and then in print, where she attempts to create the best possible version of a popular dish.
[1][7] She sparked a minor controversy in 2022 when she recommended garnishing bacon butties with marmalade rather than the traditional condiments of brown sauce or ketchup.
[12] In October 2020, Cloake hosted an online livestream event in conversation with food writer Grace Dent for The Guardian.