Donal Skehan said he wants a house from Santa after his “rental nightmare” in Dublin.
The 36-year-old telly chef quit LA to move back to Ireland with his family when Covid hit.
Keen to settle down, he’s tired of being a “professional mover”.
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Dad-of-two Donal told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “I’d love a new kitchen for Christmas.
“But honestly what I really want is a house from Santa.
“We had planned on moving back to LA after things calmed down.
“But by the time Covid was done and dusted we had put roots in Ireland.
“We’ve started looking for a house now.
“But we’ve had the maddest run of rental properties.
“Since we’ve moved back we’ve been in four different rentals.
“We are experts at moving house.
“We’ve had a nightmare renting. We’ve gone into a place, then either the house had been sold or the owners were moving back.
“We are professional movers at this point.”
This Morning regular and RTE favourite Donal remains in demand work-wise and his TV shows have aired in more than 40 countries.
Working with Fremantle who look after Nigella and Jamie Oliver has catapulted his brand to a global scale.
He laughed: “I get messages from people all around the world, who’ve seen it in Australia or Singapore.”
The Howth native will next be seen on RTE One presenting two new shows: Donal’s Christmas Eve and Donal’s Festive Party.
One focuses on Christmas traditions – baking with kids and Christmas movies and games – whilst the other hones in on New Year’s.
The cooking pro admitted that stressing about Christmas dinner “happens every year”.
He advised: “Plan your menu a few weeks ahead. Have people delegated to different jobs.
“Have someone making the ham, another the sides, do not try to do it all yourself because it’s an absolute beast of a meal.
“Lean into the things that bring the Christmas spirit.
“That’s what we’re focusing on in our Christmas special, it’s not just about the big day.
“It’s all about the events leading up to Christmas.
“There’s so much pressure and people get themselves worked up.
“You need to take the pot off the boil and bring it down to simmer.”
Santa comes twice in Donal’s house as his wife Sofie hails from Sweden.
He joked: “In Sweden, Santa comes into the house on Christmas Eve.
“So by the time Christmas is over I want to throw the Christmas tree out the window.
“I know I sound like a grinch!”
Donal opened up on suffering with anxiety in the past.
And he revealed that leaving LA in a hurry as the pandemic swept the globe was emotional. Now happy with life in Ireland, he revealed how he has implemented tools in his daily life to help him cope.
He said: “It took me about six months for my head to catch up on what had happened during the pandemic.
“At the same time we had a newborn and we were trying to find a new life – in a place where nobody could see each other.
“We found it difficult, we are only finding our feet now.
“In lots of ways for me personally mental health stuff comes and goes.
“I do find in the run up to before we came home I was travelling so much, once a week across the Atlantic.”
His mental health is, he says, “something I check in on, it’s maintenance and balance”.
He added: “Rhythm and consistency is key. I like to cook in the morning.
“That’s the big thing and getting fresh air.
“The other thing I’m really into is Wim Hof breathing.
“I’ve been doing it since 2018. I use his app, you can challenge yourself to hold your breath for two minutes.
“Whether it’s breath work or meditation, it’s all about stopping and resetting.
“From a food perspective I make sure I’m getting my five a day. Are you putting in things that will make you feel good in the long run?”
Donal also explained how being overwhelmed comes in waves.
He added: “When you work for yourself you’ll have quiet moments, then times like right now where everything is coming at you.
“I’m working on a book, I’ve just finished a TV show.
“I’m over and back to London to film This Morning.”
Filming his new documentary series, Feast, Fast and Festivals, sees Donal discovering how food plays a vital role in religion. The series is awakening his spirituality.
He said: “We’ve been filming with the Hare Krishna community on their island in Fermanagh.
“We spent the day cooking lacto- vegetarian food and talking about the purpose of food in their diet.
“It was really interesting and has lowered my meat intake drastically. We’re on a bit of a health kick now, eating smaller quantities of meat, more vegetables.
“I’m pushing up the pulses and lentils.
“I’ll take away something from every community we visit.
“In every religion there are negatives, but there are huge positives too.
“A few years ago, we did a TV show visiting the Blue Zones, where religion plays a key role. It’s the idea of something you can cling to, that gives you a constant throughout your life.
“I wouldn’t class myself as highly religious, but I do think there’s spirituality there, a sense of community that you do get with religion.
“I’m inspired by these religions. From a diet perspective the religions that had vegetarianism as a core principle of their beliefs.
“It’s what we’re all leaning towards now, eating less meat and more veg.
“In some ways these religions were ahead of their time.”
- Donal’s Christmas Eve, sponsored by the National Dairy Council & EU Sustainable Milk Programme, is on RTE One on December 18 at 7.30pm. Donal’s Festive Party airs on RTE One on December 29 at 8pm. Donal’s Feast, Fast and Festivals airs next year.
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