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Music, lights, friends… chef turned television presenter Andi Oliver on why letting your hair down and partying is the only way to survive
Everyone deserves a party, and who better to throw one than cooking queen and party fan Andi Oliver? The chef’s new show, Andi Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts sees her tour the UK to throw shindigs for deserving community groups and those who go above and beyond. Here, the 61-year-old, mum to telly star Miquita, tells us why get-togethers are good for the soul…
Hi Andi! Tell us why you are such a party fan?
Why would you not be? Because a party to me, is a perfect moment. It’s the moment people put down their baggage, open up their hearts, their spirits and just liberate themselves and each other. That’s what we all need to do regularly. It’s the only way to survive. People need to party. Bringing people together is how I got through life, it’s how I still get through it. The best moments in my life have been with other people.
Tell us about the series you’re presenting, Andi Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts…
It’s all about feeling good and remembering why people are great. We have been travelling up and down the country meeting the most extraordinary human beings. Celebrating community, family, powerful human connection. All the things we need to remember about life right now. It’s about real-life everyday heroes, people who turn up for each other seven days a week. You should watch it because it will make your heart fill up with joy. I have just met people who are showing the best of themselves and show us how we can live if we work hard and do it right.
Have you always been a party fan?
I have always had parties, even when I didn’t have any money. Even when I had £5 or £10 – if you have got £10 you can buy chicken wings, you can buy rice, you can buy salad. That is a party right there! I have always done it. Especially when I was a single parent and I didn’t have the money to go out, it was a really good way to make sure I still had a good social life. Parties can be all shapes and sizes. It can be six people or it can be 60. It’s about the energy in the room.
How has food and music shaped your life?
I think that food and music are the two building blocks at the basis of everything I do. My growing up was
