You can always count on super-smiley chef and presenter, Andi Oliver to serve up something special.
In this weekend’s 60 Seconds, the Great British Menu host, 60, provides plenty of food for thought.
She tells us about new series Fabulous Feasts, her 1980s punk days with Neneh Cherry and the near telepathic connection working with her daughter, Miquita Oliver.
Oh, and she also reveals which food makes her sick…
Have you had any kitchen disasters?
In our pub we made jerk chicken and I devised this orange and ginger syrup. I was at the cooker and knocked the pot – a couple of litres. It was volcanically hot. I didn’t have proper kitchen shoes on, so it went inside my trainer. I screamed, and my colleague Kelly got a bucket of ice and cling film. We got my foot out of the trainer, sponged it off, wrapped it in cling film and I stuck it in the bucket. I cooked until the end of service with my foot in the bucket!
Who would your ideal dinner guest be, dead or alive?
I’d like to meet the late American writers Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. And I want to ask them about how to move through the world with a good heart and intelligent emotion.
Maybe something deeper, such as what their favourite emoji is…
No, I’m not talking to James about emojis. I’d rather knock myself out with my own fist.
Tell us about your latest show, Fabulous Feasts, in which you celebrate towns and communities across the UK?
Making this show has been one of the most glorious things I’ve ever done. It’s restored my faith in humankind. Community does exist and there are people doing amazing things day in, day out, seven days a week, up and down this country for each other.
You also present Great British Menu. Why do you think there’s such an appetite for cooking competitions?
Food is the universal language of love, isn’t it? Sometimes my daughter, Miquita, comes in and all she wants is shepherd’s pie, so I make one because it makes her happy. Food is the great unifier.
What leaves a bitter taste in your mouth?
That there are no normal pubs left. Everybody used to be able to buy a round of drinks for their friends, 20 quid. Now it costs about £45 to buy a round.
Also, stop booking all the tables in the pub. It’s a pub. If you want to book tables, go to a bloody restaurant. I get shouty, as you can tell, because I don’t understand what normal people are meant to do.
You co-host podcast Stirring It Up with Miquita. What is it like working together?
We work together very well. We’ve got a shorthand – we can speak without needing words. I can look at her, or she can touch my leg and I’ll know she wants me to shut up. I’ll be midflow and suddenly this finger will touch my arm. I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m going on too long. All right, I hear you loud and clear!’
Some people know you as a member of 1980s punk band Rip Rig + Panic, with Neneh Cherry. How do you look back at that time?
A bit hazily, frankly! It was the time of my life. Who wouldn’t want to spend their teenage years running around the world with their mates, on tour, being on stage, having fun, learning so much. The things I learnt still stand me in good stead: treat people well, live with love, step with kindness and just be good at what you do. Know your s***.
What’s the most memorable thing that happened to you on stage?
There was the time I shaved my head when my hair was getting on my nerves. Neneh said, ‘Shut up about it or shave it off’, and I went, ‘Shave it off’. So we went to Boots, got a Bic razor and shaved my head. We wrapped a head tie on and didn’t tell anybody. I went on stage and the tie fell off and I was bald. All the guys were like, ‘Oh my God, where’s your hair gone?’ That was quite funny.
You were 60 last year. How do you feel about growing older?
Like a rocket ship. I feel the best I’ve ever felt. Healthy, fit, in my power, creatively. More great things seem to happen each day.
Can you share an unpopular opinion with us?
I don’t like tomatoes. And I really don’t like cooked ones, when the skin goes crinkly. They make me feel sick – I hate ’em. But I cook with them when they’re needed, for the acidity and sweetness.
What might it surprise people to know about you?
I’m weirdly shy sometimes. I’ve been with my partner for about 30 years, so I haven’t been on a date for a long time. But when I used to go dating, I met a guy who I really liked but got so scared I stood him up.
How do you unwind?
I watch terrible telly. I had a hysterectomy a couple of years ago and was getting better – I was on morphine – and watched nearly every episode of The Real Housewives.
Andi Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts is on Wednesdays at 8pm on BBC2. Stirring It Up is available on podcast providers.
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