I make porridge every morning – that’s from school. I went to a convent boarding school from the age of five. And they did do interesting food, actually. We’d have spinach and all sorts that was good for you and then on Sundays, because the nuns were going to church, we had bars of chocolate. We’d love that: we’d scrape bits off and put them on the bread.
At home, my mum did the cooking and she was a really good cook. She was Irish, but she came to England when she was two. I’ve still got all her cookery books from the 1950s: hardback first editions of Elizabeth David’s books on French and Italian cooking. In those days my mum used to use olive oil, but you had to get it from the chemist.
When I left home, I went to Saint Martin’s School of Art, so drawing and all that was more important than food. And drinking of course! We used to go to the French House and the Coach and Horses in Soho and that club where Francis Bacon used to go.
All the markets are food markets now. I used to go to Soho every week to buy embroidery threads and jewellery, but it’s not there any more. At Saint Martin’s and [Young’s shop] Swanky Modes, we used to go to Spitalfields to buy haberdashery and that’s all gone, too. Food is the fashion now, but I’m sure it will change.
When I started on The Great British Sewing Bee, I was asked if I wanted any particular foods for the green room. And I just went: “Oh, I like Mini Cheddars.” So they gave me Mini Cheddars – and they still do. But all that stuff about “what do you want?” I don’t care! I don’t make demands at all. Without that lot – the crew, the producers – there wouldn’t be Sewing Bee. I really feel it’s a gang; we’re all friends. And that’s what’s important.
I’ve lived in my flat since 1982. It’s tiny, but I like entertaining. How many can I fit in? I can ram in eight people, but there will be some eating on the sofa. Particularly if you’ve got the Christmas tree up.
One of my favourite meals is the one I used to have with my final-year students at Saint Martin’s. We’d have it at my beach hut: I’ve only got two hobs there, so I’d make risotto, and we’d have a little portable barbecue. That was really fun.
I love Greek food and I’ve been going to this island called Sifnos since 1985. They make their own yoghurt and of course there’s really, really fresh fish. Where I stay, you can walk around the garden and pick whatever you want: melons, artichokes, thyme, capers. In Greece, they don’t put the capers in vinegar, they put them in salt, so that’s what I’ll do.
I go to the Sportsman [in Seasalter, Kent] quite a lot, though getting in there now is tricky. You have to book weeks before. I had my 70th birthday there in 2019 and I booked it before Christmas for eight people. Then I completely forgot! I only remembered when they got in touch a couple of days before [in February] and so my brother invited a friend of his.
I’ll sit down to eat with anyone on Sewing Bee, but we do keep a bit of separation from the contestants. I sometimes get asked if we choose the contestants, but we can’t: otherwise, we could get biased because of their personalities. But at the end, we have a party and they all come to that.
I make Christmas cakes every year for my family and friends. I make so many, I can’t cook them all at the same time. And I cook them really slowly and because I’m working all the time it is kind of tricky. I use lots of fruit and I put apricot jam, marzipan, and then icing sugar mixed with lemon on the top. It’s delicious! But then I would say that …
My favourite things
Food
Fish stew with mashed potatoes. You can make it with any old fish: mussels, prawns, haddock, salmon, maybe scallops.
Drink
Homemade elderflower cordial. In Covid, I did a lot of walking and I came upon these elderflower trees so I pick from those now. I’ve never made elderflower champagne – and now I’m thinking I should.
Place to eat?
JoJo’s, a Greek restaurant on the seafront in Whitstable.
Dish to make?
Fish chowder. I use a Jane Grigson recipe.
The Great British Sewing Bee: Back to Basics (Quadrille, £30) is published on 18 April
