Peter Russell-clarke

Peter Russell-clarke The Aussie veteran TV chef credits 57 years of marriage as his key to success

They say behind every great man is an even greater woman, and that’s the case for larrikin chef Peter Russell-clarke.

At 81 years young, the charismatic culinary whiz, painter and cartoonist still wears the red neckerchief he donned all those years ago as the creator and host of Australia’s most popular cooking show, Come And Get It With Peter Russell-clarke. But what many viewers may not know about the down-toearth Aussie, whose cheery “G’day!” is legendary, is that his devoted wife, Jan, 83, has been with him every step of the way.

“We’re a very good business team,” says Peter. “Jan is stable, whereas I’m a scatterbrain. Being honest, it’s Jan’s ability to be passive and understanding that’s helped us survive,” he says.

Jan worked behind the scenes on the show and even today, she still manages Peter’s social media accounts and helps transcribe his manuscripts.

The much-loved cook can’t help but smile as he recalls how he fell in love with his beautiful wife. “I was living in bachelor quarters and Jan was working as an air hostess. We’d see each other at parties,” he remembers.

“Jan had a boyfriend I was friendly with and ultimately I cut his lunch,” he chuckles, before adding, “Funnily enough we’re no longer friends!”

It seems it was a match made in heaven for the pair.

“I always said I never wanted to get bored and I never have!” Jan says. “Peter has a lovely nature and he still makes me laugh – it just works!”

Despite their obvious happiness it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the couple, who will celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary next March and share two children, Wendy, 51, and Peter, 49, along with three grandchildren.

An electrical fault in 2012 saw their rural home in Victoria burn down. The couple lost the lot – family memorabilia, paintings, furniture and four finished cooking manuscripts.

But Peter and Jan were determined to turn their misfortune into another adventure. “When our house burnt down we actually had a good time,” says Jan.

“We stayed in a neighbour’s shed for six months until the insurance company put us up,” recalls Peter, before quipping, “In hindsight, my paintings could have been better!”

Having rebuilt their home, it’s now just as eclectic as they are – with a microwave for a mailbox, a vast antique collection, which

‘Peter has a lovely nature and he still makes me laugh – it just works!’

Peter has always loved painting and has been an artist since well before he was a TV chef! The pair have a fancy kitchen but Peter, who does all the cooking, prefers to use these camping hotplates because they’re “closer to the table”!