Sophie Alfieri Reveals the Family-Friendly British Tradition She’s Doing With Her Sons
Sophie Alfieri Reveals the Family-Friendly British Tradition She’s Doing With Her Sons
The dietician talks parenting and food culture in the US vs UK, working with pre and postnatal clients, and her 14 Park Slope Favorites, including a zen Community Garden!
Hi! How’s your day going? Any plans for the weekend? We have a birthday party this afternoon, and we might check out the Halloween Costume Contest and Mini-Parade at the Old Stone House tomorrow. I’ve been loving all the Halloween decorations all over the neighborhood!
Today’s issue features Sophie Alfieri, a Registered Dietician and the founder of seed + sprout, a Park Slope-based nutrition practice. Sophie grew up in the UK and studied nutrition and food science, and she worked for years in the food science space. In 2016, she moved to NYC with her husband, Matt, and went to NYU where she earned her master’s degree in clinical nutrition.
Now, Sophie provides nutritional support and guidance for people navigating fertility all the way to family nutrition. “I truly feel like from preconception to young family, that period is one of the most transformative times in somebody's life, and I love being part of that journey,” says Sophie.
In her interview, Sophie talks about growing up in the UK and the differences and similarities in parenting and food culture between the UK and the US. She shares what she loves about working with people in the prenatal and postnatal seasons of life. Sophie also reveals her Park Slope favorites, including bodega flowers, sushi, and a community garden that’s a “total hidden gem.”
Kelley MacDonald: Hi Sophie! What was it like growing up in the UK?
Sophie Alfieri: I grew up just outside London in a fairly small town, Buckinghamshire is the county, with my parents and my older sister. It was a fairly easy upbringing; it felt less complicated than growing up in the city now. You know, you went to one school in the town. My mom worked in IT in the high school that I went to. So if the computer stopped working in the middle of the lesson, she was the person who would come in and fix it. That was always a fun thing at school when my mom walked into the classroom. My dad worked in finance. The job that we remember growing up was that he worked for a cheese company. Around the holidays, he’d bring home a giant wheel of cheese [laughs]. KM: That’s such a good gift! I would love to get a big wheel of cheese from an employer [laughs]! SA: I know! I feel like these days with social media we see things made in a wheel of cheese, things you can do with a giant wheel of cheese that we didn't even know existed then.
Why did you move to the US?
I met my now husband, Matt, through my sister, who is also married, coincidentally, to an American. Matt and I lived together in London for five years, and then his job relocated to New York. When he asked if I would move to America, I was like, “Sure! Sounds good. I’m not going to say no to New York.” We moved to Brooklyn Heights in 2016. We always liked the idea of Brooklyn, and we found an apartment in Brooklyn Heights that we really liked. We lived close to The Promenade, which was so nice. We have a dog, so our dog walks around The Promenade were really lovely.
When did you move to Park Slope and why?
We moved to Park Slope in 2020, which was when I was pregnant with Leo. We decided we wanted a bit more space and wanted to be near green space. When we lived in Brooklyn Heights, we used to take the subway to Prospect Park, and we just loved this neighborhood. It felt almost London-esque. It had a community feel, yet it’s still in the city, and it just felt really unique. You could walk down the street and see people with strollers, people in playgrounds. It seemed like a really nice area to raise children. We fell in love with the apartment our real estate agent found for us. You can hear children laughing from the stoop. We’ve been here ever since.
I’m always curious about the similarities and differences between cultures when it comes to parenting. What have you noticed, as someone who spent your childhood in the UK and is now raising two young children in the US?
I've noticed similarities in how my British friends parent their little ones compared to here. Both cultures seem focused on education and are quite child-centric, often adjusting their schedules around kids' activities and birthday parties.
The key differences that stand out to me — the first one being top of mind especially as a parent of very young children — are parental leave policies and extracurricular activities. In the UK, it’s common for maternity leave to last 9-12 months, which I wish the U.S. would adopt for various reasons, including breastfeeding success, maternal mental health, and overall family well-being. And from what I've seen, extracurriculars are much more prevalent in the US. Many of my friends in the UK didn’t participated in extracurriculars or sports or just did one. I was surprised to find how common it is here for kids to be involved in multiple after-school activities each week. I think there’s a balance to be struck. I definitely want my children to try more sports and activities than I did growing up, but I also don’t want our family calendar to be overloaded with commitments. We need to find a balance that works for our family.
Is there a specific tradition, ritual, or cultural aspect of raising kids in the UK that you miss here in America?