The cheery chef and television presenter chats about his new TV show, his family and his proudest moments
WORDS: CLAIRE SAUL IMAGES: SHUTTERSTOCK
● My mother was a great one for cooking, as was my grandfather. I think that’s where my love came from. Some people say food is just fuel, but to my family it was much more. It was a joy.
● I was trained in a classic French restaurant. But when I was on Good Morning with Anne and Nick, and then Ready Steady Cook, I was “the speedy, funny chef who does amazing things with a few ingredients” and it kind of stayed with me.
● For my latest television series I create dishes with produce from the walled gardens of National Trust places, which I cook in my outdoor kitchen. Two chefs also have a cook-off and the results are judged by the property’s staff or volunteers. I also meet all these amazing people who know everything about apples or roses or growing cabbages.
● One memorable moment was at Blickling in Norfolk with chef Cyrus Todiwala.
He used an onion he’d just picked and he said, “I’ve been cooking for 50 years and this is the first time in my life that I’ve taken a vegetable from the soil, prepared it and used it in my cooking”. It was genuinely exciting for him.
● Seasonal food is at the heart of this show.
Once you understand the seasonal periods of growing food, you’ll appreciate it more. There’s nothing like the first taste of an English summer strawberry, it’s amazing.
Proudest Moments?
● Becoming a grandfather. My granddaughter is now six months old. I’ve held lots of babies but I have never felt anything like the energy I got from holding her. It was just li
