What's in your Kitchen?

The kitchen is the greatest social point of every household. In my kitchen I have an "eating table" - I don't call it a dining table. I'm very particular about my stove, although it's a domestic kitchen I have an industrial stove - an American brand called Wolf.

It has four gas rings, a flat top which can hold at least a dozen pans at a time and it has two double ovens. Apart from that it's like any other kitchen. As for food I always make sure I have a supply of fresh quality ham and good quality cheese so if I get home late and I am starving I can make myself a really quick yet delicious cheese and ham toastie.

How would you sum up your food philosophy?

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Simple food sums up my food philosophy. I want people to discover and cook local produce that can be found on their doorsteps. Eating good seasonal flavours and tasting food at it's best. I've always stuck with this in my life.

How has British food and our attitude to it changed in your lifetime?

It's more than 20 years ago now that I became obsessed with British cooking and dishes and insisting on British produce. To see how British food has developed and been accepted over the years by so many chefs brings me nothing but pleasure. I'm hoping in years to come that British cooking will be recognised worldwide as one of the best culinary arts in the world.

Generally, as a nation, we seem to be searching for the way we were brought up. I grew up in the 1960s, when we didn’t have lots of imported food. It was all about home-grown and about visiting the local green grocer when everything was in season.

I’m still a strong believer that when you walk into a supermarket and they’re offering all this fruit and veg, there should be one side for home-grown produce and one for imported. You might have to wait an extra two weeks for our tomatoes to ripen, but the wait will be worth it.

What annoys you about food culture in Britain?

The lack of dining room tables in some families - the dinner table is the greatest social point in the world. Many families in Britain eat together as a unit but millions don't. Eating together at the table is the one time a day you can maintain that warm loving relationship with your children as they grow older, and this is often forgotten.

Also, the French family budget for food is much higher. It’s all about priority. We tend to worry too much about new phones or trainers for our children, rather than the food they’re eating.

What is Britain's best kept food secret?

Not many Europeans know that in every village, town and city in the UK we have amazing food producers, from farmers to butchers and greengrocers. I'm going to keep screaming and shouting about it until everyone listens.

Do you prefer eating in or eating out?

I love both absolutely. Eating in is very special - the family can get together, we cook together, eat together, clear the plates and wash up together. Yet also some of the happiest social times we've had as a family has been when we've eaten out.

What is the next big food trend?

I hope that it will be natural and amazing fresh foods for young children. Cooking in schools has supposedly been made compulsory, but where is the millions necessary provided by the Government to introduce the right kitchens and tools needed to make this happen? I don't know whether it will happen in my lifetime or not, but I'd like there to be a time when rubbish fast food rubbish won't be accepted by anyone.

Local Food Hero starts on 17 November and runs weeknights at 9pm on UKTV Food.

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