Fresh thinking from Donal
Jeananne Craig meets the ex-pop star to discuss eating well and treating yourself
Adecade ago, young Donal Skehan was plying his trade as a pop star, showcasing his dance moves and– “the most mortifying aspect of it” – wearing matching white training outfits to the gym with his Streetwize bandmates.
“I can hold a note, but I look at Take That and think, ‘I was probably the Howard Donald or Jason Orange of the band’. I was good to fill numbers,” says the writer and presenter, who went on to enjoy two Irish No 1 hits with Industry.
His pop career might have been short-lived, but music’s loss was the food world’s gain.
Skehan had already started writing his Good Mood Food blog, chronicling the dishes he prepared when he first moved out of home, and by the age of 23 had landed a book deal and TV presenting gig.
Since then, the Dublinborn foodie’s landed a regular guest presenting gig on BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen, taken up hosting and judging duties on Junior MasterChef, published six cookbooks, and seen his cookery career take off in the US, as a host of Star Kids on Food Network USA.
Now 30, Skehan has relocated to Los Angeles with his Swedish wife Sofie, and is lapping up the local cuisine with his customary enthusiasm and zest.
Skehan’s latest cookbook, Eat. Live. Go. – Fresh Food Fast is in keeping with the book’s nutritious ethos, it’s a superfood version, with turmeric, spirulina powder, cayenne pepper and smoked paprika sprinkled over it (and not a butter ladle in sight).
He says the book is all about “prioritising eating well, living a balanced lifestyle and taking time to travel and find inspiration from the world”.
And balance is clearly important to Skehan who, despite indulging in some of the less healthy “tourist food” the US has to offer - and enjoying a sizeable slice of lemon tart when we meet – is slim, tanned and the picture of good health.
“I make green juice and I eat lemon tarts and, for a while, I always felt there was a struggle between the two, but it’s like, ‘Let’s not struggle, let’s just enjoy it when you need it’,” he explains.
Things are clearly going brilliantly for the affable personality, but if the writing and presenting jobs dry up, there’s always that pop career - white suits and all - to fall back on.
“If you told me I could go back on stage tomorrow, I would take your hand off.” he says.