Peta Mathias

Chef, author and culinary traveller Peta Mathias’ latest book, Never Put All Your

Eggs In One Bastard, is a memoir of building her home in the south of France, though she says it’s actually about “a meaningful life and following your own path, which may not be the one expected of you”.

What are your summer plans? I fly off to host a culinary tour in South India in January and another in Vietnam in April. My other plans involve lying on the floor while drinking champagne.

What tip would you give someone planning a visit to Vietnam? Eat everything, including street food. The best way to access a culture is through its cuisine. Don’t eat breakfast in your hotel: squat on a streetside stool and eat pho – beef noodle soup. What’s the funniest food-related incident you’ve experienced in your television career? The first time I went to Vietnam, I ate a delicious barbecued spatchcocked quail at a picnic. After I’d sucked the last bone, I was told it was rice-paddy mouse.

Is healthy eating a priority for you? Yes, not because I am inhabiting any moral high ground but because non-healthy food doesn’t taste good and I’m a sucker for taste.

How would you describe your diet and lifestyle?

I eat good fresh food, lots of vegetables, fruit, meat and fish. I love butter and never cut the fat off meat. I eat a light lunch and dinner except when I’m entertaining. I go for walks and do stretching exercises, but nothing that would get in the way of lying around reading.

What did you have for breakfast this morning? Nothing. I don’t eat breakfast.

What about for lunch? I had an organic pork chop grilled in panko bread crumbs, a slice of

sourdough bread, and a glass of red wine.

What’s your favourite evening meal? Steamed vegetables with butter and salt. And wine, of course.

What happens when you dine at other people’s homes? People are terrified to invite me to dinner, but I’m very easily pleased – I’ll eat a plate of lettuce leaves if it’s been prepared with love. The main point of a dinner party is to be together and tell lies about other people.