The Hairy Bikers!
Si King and Dave Myers reveal details of a very special summer event and a mammoth motorbike trek for charity
We’ve watched them cook up a storm on TV and enjoyed their impressive canon of cookery books, but now, for the first time, the Hairy Biker boys are about to prepare some of their fabulous food for the public. They’re hosting – and cooking at – their ‘Pop Up Wood Fired Restaurant Adventure’ at the Cornbury Festival in Oxfordshire from July 13-15. “We’re really, really excited about it,” enthuses Si – the one without the glasses. “We’ve already cooked at a couple of food festivals this year, but Cornbury is very special because we’re actually making food in our own restaurant and environment, and it’s the first time that’s happened.” While the boys are virtuosos at cooking on the road and in their own kitchens, isn’t the thought of actually making food for the public more than a bit scary? “We are a bit nervous,” admits Si. “We’re putting lots of time, effort and love into the pop-up – and it is something new for us. But I think it would be odd if we weren’t a bit apprehensive. If we were blasé about it, it would be like we weren’t on top of our game.” So, what will be on the menu? “The inspiration comes from our Mediterranean cookbook,” says
Dave. “We’re using wood-fired ovens and cooking over an open flame, on open fires.
It’s just the kind of food you like eating out-of-doors – smoky, sharing food you can really get stuck into. Good fun food that’s flavoursome and filling. Si and I will be doing our fair share of cooking in addition to the work done by our team of chefs, although once we’ve got the ball rolling, we’ll go front-of-house and enjoy chatting with people. We will be very hands-on and we’re dead excited about it.” For Si, there’s an added bonus to cooking at Cornbury.
“The organisers are letting my band play on the
Saturday night,” he beams. “I’ve been in bands since I was 17 so it’s a big moment for me. We’re called Little Moscow and played together as youngsters. We got back together for a laugh but we take the music seriously. I’m the drummer and we perform covers of rock songs. That’s what we’ll be doing at the festival when everyone’s had a few drinks and they want to jump about a bit! It’s what summer nights are all about.” Summer is, of course, holiday time. Where are Si and Dave headed this year? “We’ve got a motorcycle ride for the charity Childline across British Colombia in Canada in September,” says Dave. “I guess that will be like our summer holiday. But my wife and I live in France quite a lot of the time where we have a house north of the Loire valley.” Si, too, spends a great deal of time out of the country so he can be with his partner, Australian cook Michele Cranston.
“I’m in Sydney a lot in order to be with Michele, although she comes over here, too,” he reveals. “I’ve just moved to St Albans, actually, from my native north east. There’s no way I’ll ever be a southerner but the commuting backwards and forwards from Newcastle to London was getting me down. Now it takes me 18 minutes instead of three to four hours.” Both bikers are in fine form with Dave having recovered from a nasty bout of pneumonia earlier this year, while Si’s fully fit after the brain aneurism he suffered four years ago. “I’m very well, thank goodness, and thanks for asking,” says Si. “Like many middle-aged men, I struggle a bit with my weight. It’s up and down like a fiddler’s elbow. But I’m always going to love a pie while Dave loves pizza. In fact, he’s an absolute pizza fiend!” The Bikers do, literally, take a leaf out of their own book when it comes to watching their weight. Their dieting books are bestsellers with the recently published book, The Hairy Dieters Make It Easy topping the paperback bestseller chart. “Losing weight is hard enough, especially when everyone’s lives are so pressurised and there’s never enough time,” explains Dave (60). “In the book, we really do make it easy – it’s about planning meals when you’re watching your weight, what to shop for and great recipes that are quick and easy to prepare. When you’re watching what you eat, you want to get the food to the table as soon as possible because you’re starving!” The boys are planning to release another book in late autumn.
“It will be a collection of our favourite recipes past and present, and will be called The Hairy Bikers’ Classics,” says Si (50). With more than 20 cookbooks written, it will surely be a mammoth task to choose their favourite dishes, but seafood is bound to be on the menu for Si. “Oh, it’s my favourite food in the world,” he sighs. “The seafood bounty we get from our fantastic coastline – oysters, mussels, crab, prawns, lobster… I absolutely love it and am a massive fan. But I’m a seasonal lad so I always order what’s in season.”
We’re sure whatever they choose it’ll be delicious.
■ For more details about
Si and Dave’s foodie event at the Cornbury Festival and how to book tickets, visit www.hairybikers.com or www.cornburyfestival.com
‘We’re using wood-fired ovens and cooking over an open flame, on open fires’