When I’m not at work my family take up all of my time.. a man would be a distraction
money. Who doesn’t want to work out where they can not waste money? I do an online shop once a fortnight and it gets delivered and I save money by not using bags and you can get quite a few vouchers. “I don’t come in here as an expert, I come in here as a journalist and a mum who is interested to find out as much as I can.” She cites several bits of the show which have been an eye opener for her and now hopes to cook a pizza recipe with her sons and reduce the frequency of her ‘big shop’. “We have a lot more food in our kitchen than we think,” she says. “The first meal Matt cooks is from what he finds in cupboards and from the bin. “He cooks a meal for a family and it is technically free because it’s stuff they already have. They sit down and think it is incredible and then he says actually it was already in your cupboard and you had thrown away the vegetables because they were past their best before date.
“Run down your cupboard, run down your fridge and take a stock check of what you have got before you shop.
“Some of us are guilty of doing top up shops because we are bored of what is in the kitchen. We open the fridge and don’t see the vegetables which could be made into a casserole if we just add a bit of the chicken in the freezer.”
Asked to compare new co-host Matt with Piers she says dryly: “Matt cooks more often. I like working with them both, I don’t compare them. I have worked with a lot of on-screen partners in my time. I have yet to work with anyone I didn’t get on with and Matt is lovely. He laughs all the time.
“He makes everyone laugh and is great fun. He knows his stuff, he knows his way around a kitchen. He is just brilliant and a great cook.”
Susanna insists she doesn’t know when her golden handcuffs deal with ITV runs out, and while I find this hard to believe, it is clear she is staying on the breakfast sofa for some time. “I feel settled,” she says grinning. “I am here for the foreseeable future, I am committed, I want this to carry on.” ■ Save Money: Good Food starts Tuesday at 8pm with an ITV hour-long special. Then Tuesdays at 7.30pm.