Mum said: You’re not allowed to feel pain!

THE 48-year-old BBC Radio 6 presenter, who has two sons and a daughter, was born in Cardiff and is well known as a founding member of 1990s rock band Catatonia. My bible when I was about ten or 11 was a book by Roger Phillips on wild food.

As a child, I loved asking questions, exploring, going out into the woods at the back of our home to collect nettles to make soup with. I loved and still love nature. You need to have a song for every occasion.

When I was three, we were driving along a country lane and ahead of us a large sow escaped from a trailer and went hobbling down the lane with the farmer chasing it. We started singing an old Welsh song about a black pig to accompany the scene – it taught me how handy it is to have a good repertoire to hand. I was brought up by a mother from a Neath council estate. We weren’t allowed to feel pain. Don’t underestimate a good pair of socks.

Imagine going through life without a good pair of socks. How uncomfortable would that feel? A good pair of socks are worth more to me than a million pairs of Jimmy Choos. It’s important for children to get dirt under their fingernails and straw in their hair.

I curate my own festival – Good Life in Flintshire – and the best part of it is my young daughter saying she has had a brilliant time experiencing nature and the great outdoors, learning new skills while listening to great music. Lighting a fire and staring into the flames is one of the most relaxing things you can do.

It helps me unwind. You can open a bottle of wine and watch the flames dance. Sometimes my neighbours come around and join me. My husband and I made an agreement when we married. I’d never have to read maps as I have zero sense of direction, and he wouldn’t ever have to do DIY. It’s worked very well so far – we’ve been together for nearly ten years.