‘Oysters are the devil’s food’

IF you too are struggling through winter, what you need are hot drinks and

comfort food – meaning it’s time to either dig out Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite’s latest cookbook Comfort or buy it, before we get all caught up in his forthcoming recipe collection (focused on stove-top cooking), due out later this year.

We caught up with the cookery school owner and farmer’s son to hear about his tastes and preferences.

Your death row meal would be... A hotpot, my tartiflette pizza and a bag of Haribo – Tangfastics, or frozen Gummy bears.

The thing you still can’t make is... I would never try to bone a duck. I have done in the past but there’s no joy in that for me.

Your favourite store-cupboard essential has to be... Shaoxing sauce, lots of dried pasta and rice, cardamom, cinnamon – oh, I can’t choose, you need a plethora of ingredients in the pantry.

The kitchen utensil you couldn’t live without has to be... My KitchenAid. I know it’s indulgent and unnecessary but I have to have it in my line of business. When I was at Cordon Bleu when I was training in my pastry diploma, I used to have to make genoise sponge by hand, so we’d have to whisk eggs and sugar over a bain-marie for 25 minutes – it’s aggressively dull.

If you get hungry late at night, the snack you’ll reach for is... Garlicky cheese on toast, or my Marmite and cheddar rarebit.

You like your eggs... Poached. No, fried – I love it when you get the little burnt bits. I like a really lacy, crispy bottom to my egg and a bit of butter at the end.

Your favourite childhood dinner was... A Findus crispy pancake. There’s no horsemeat in mine. My mum would always deep-fry them.

Last night you ate... I had my Mongolian sticky beef, but I had it with noodles rather than lettuce cups. It’s so, so good.

The ultimate hangover cure has to be... Domino’s pizza. I have half Mighty Meaty, half The Sizzler.

You can’t stomach... I won’t eat oysters unless they’re deep-fried. Oysters are the devil’s food. Not for me.

Your signature dish is... I don’t have one. Whenever I have a dinner party I try something new but from now on I think I’ll have my Korean disco chips as an entree.

Comfort, John Whaite, published by Kyle Books, £19.99