GIZZI ERSKINE MY LIFE IN TRAVEL

The chef has drunk green wine in Lisbon, eaten raw crab in Korea, and stayed at a brothel while backpacking through Cuba

I LOVE AN ADVENTURE, and flying into the centre of Belize on a tiny plane didn’t disappoint. I stayed at Francis Ford Coppola’s properties there and at his hideaway, La Lancha, in Guatemala. The exterior was covered in netting to keep tarantulas out. I loved it.

THE MOST SPECTACULAR BEACHES are all on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire. But what grabbed me was their incredible Dutch heritage. The history of the slave trade there is dark but fascinating.

I REMEMBER BEING AN EIGHTYEAR-OLD TOMBOY and I refused to wear a bikini while in Spain, where I got a pair of Tuxedosam penguin cartoon character swimming shorts. They have been my most treasured holiday souvenir since.

I’M NOT MUCH OF A CLUBBER but I like bars. My favourite is at The Cliff restaurant in Barbados. It’s on a cliff and you can peer over the edge to see giant fish circling below.

IBIZA ALWAYS DISAPPOINTS ME as I don’t like dance music. I’ve been to the island for spiritual reasons, health reasons, as well as to party, but the most exciting thing I discovered there was a tomato farm.

MARBELLA HAS UNDISCOVERED CORNERS though I know it gets a bad rap, tarnished by tourists. But if you take a closer look, you’ll find there are lots of other places to explore in Marbella. My mum retired nearby in the beautiful Sierra Blanca mountains where there are wild boar restaurants. I’M INSPIRED BY LONDON as it’s so fast moving. When I started training as a chef I worked at St John, which still has an impact on the global food scene.

SEOUL IS A

THRIVING CULINARY CAPITAL and is on a par with London in terms of food. But raw fermented chilli crab in South Korea is an acquired taste.

MY FOOD EPIPHANY HAPPENED IN NEW YORK when I first tried ramyeon (Korean ramen) and Korean fried chicken at Momofuku Noodle Bar. I fell in love with Korean food there and then.

SAN SEBASTIAN IS THE ULTIMATE FOODIE CITY as its tapas restaurants are incredible. It’s the place for omelettes, steak and turbot. There’s everything from Bar Néstor in the Old Town for omelette to molecular gastronomy at Arzak. The local txakoli sparkling wine, spectacularly poured from a height, is amazing too.

MY FAVOURITE RESTAURANT is Etxebarri in Spain’s Basque country, where this old chef (Victor Arguinzoniz) cooks on a wood fire. He cures boar chorizo and smokes fat red prawns.

THE MOST WONDERFUL SHELLFISH is served at Cervejaria Ramiro, a tiny seafood restaurant in Lisbon. You drink green wine ( vinho verde) and top it off with a Prego bun, a steak sandwich.

CAB DRIVERS KNOW THE BEST PLACES TO EAT Just tell them you don’t want to eat like a tourist and they’ll show you the best spots. Never ask the concierge for restaurant recommendations as they’re geared by travel agents.

TRY THE BLACK PEPPER CRAB at Jalan Alor in Kuala Lumpur, my favourite food market. It’s much better than Singapore crab. Also, the “chicken fish” there – I have no idea what it is, but it tastes like chicken.

I WAS SPOILT IN PHUKET where my friend and I were given a private yacht at the Sri Panwa resort to tour the islands on each day.

NOTHING BEATS STAYING IN AN OVERWATER HUT and the Pangkor Laut Resort in Malaysia was incredible. I went on holiday there with Caroline Flack [the television

SUNGLASSES

I lose so many pairs of sunglasses, but I love these Ray-Ban Aviator tortoise-shell rimmed ones for its touch of Thirties style glamour. £145; ray-ban.com/uk

MAKEUP

I love the way Lancôme’s Monsieur Big Mascara allows me to create luscious and long thick lashes. This helps me achieve that Sixties look, which I love.

£21; lancome.co.uk presenter] and stayed in a fully staffed five-bedroom villa.

CLASSIC AND UNDERSTATED ELEGANCE are what the Belmond hotels are all about. From the Hotel Cipriani in Venice and La Residencia in Mallorca, to Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire, each is iconic and cleverly curated.

MY WORST NIGHT ABROAD WAS AT A BROTHEL when I went backpacking in my late teens. I once stayed at this brothel in Cuba, which had a bed with plastic sheets. There were cockroaches everywhere.

Cab drivers know the best places to eat – just tell them you don’t want to eat like a tourist

I DRIVE PEOPLE APOPLECTIC as a travel partner, as I’m disorganised and usually turn up at the airport just in the nick of time.

THE ONE THING I HATE ABOUT HOLIDAYS is I miss my cats terribly whenever I’m away. Gizzi Erskine is an ambassador for Backed By, a new initiative by American Express offering a unique mentoring experience with the celebrity chef. For more information, see backedby.co.uk

MOVEABLE FEASTSA taste of Seoul; Belize from the air; come dine in Barbados