John Torode: ‘The kitchen is a great place to find yourself’

The celebrity chef, 56, shares his secrets for a happy relationship and the best sausage rolls

Living with my grandmother is probably my earliest memory, realising my mother had died and not really understanding it. Then, discovering food with my grandmother and learning to cook by her side. The most vivid memories are of standing in the kitchen and the smell of food. That stayed with me, the comfort of it.

I’ve still got the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car my mother gave me for my fourth birthday. It was the last birthday present she gave me. That means a lot. It sits on my shelf. She was 31 when she died. They don’t really know what it was, whether it was heart disease of some type. People say to me: “Does it make you a different person?” I have no idea.

I had a fantastic childhood. We were allowed to be as adventurous as we wanted. We moved back with my dad when I was turning 10. Our back gate opened on to the beach in Melbourne. In 1970s Australia, there was no support for a single father. He had to get on with it. He was trying to create an orange juice business; he brought the Tetra Pak into Australia. An inspirational man and driven.

I’ve always loved cooking. It was a thing I felt very comfortable doing. You can hide away in the kitchen and it’s a great place to find yourself. I like to feed people. I like to see people smile. Maybe it’s wanting to please them. When you cook for people, it’s giving. There’s a lot of you in food – and a lot of love.

We chat incessantly, my wife Lisa [Faulkner] and I. I’ve never chatted to somebody so much in all my life. It’s really weird. What’s the secret to a happy relationship? Respect. Give and take. Allowing each person to breathe and have their say. People say: “She takes the mickey out of your accent and you prod her…” That’s our relationship, it’s a good one.

I’m called Papa because, when I first had children, I didn’t want to be called Dad. I found it a really harsh word. I’m still Pumps or Papa. I love being a father. I’m a father and stepfather to five. They keep me young. They keep me interested. They keep me thinking. They keep me loving. They get me frustrated every so often, but that’s OK.

The pandemic has made me realise I don’t need to go so fast or do so much. I can take time out and breathe. I can be OK about what I’ve done in my life and not beat myself up.

I’d like to be remembered for my sausage rolls. Whoever decided to put mashed-up sausage inside pastry is a genius. Mine are pretty tasty. I add water and a little garlic and make sure they are ice cold before they go in the oven. The water blows up the protein, so when it cooks, it steams from the inside and the sausage meat puffs up. They are delicious.

I don’t mind getting older. I look at my hands and see these funny spots. I remember seeing those on my dad’s hands when I was a kid and thinking: “What are they?” He’s 84 now, fit and healthy. He’s just decided he’s not going to do Meals on Wheels any more. I was talking to a friend and he said: “He’s not going to get them?” I said: “He doesn’t get them. He’s been delivering them.”

Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook-Off is on Tuesday 21 December at 8pm and Thursday 23 December at 9pm on BBC One

Contributor

Katherine Hassell

The GuardianTramp

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