Is back on the menu

much, about how ‘not well’ they are or why they shouldn’t be eating bread.”

This idea is ludicrous to him and makes him hoot with laughter, banging the table. “We don’t eat enough fish, although research shows it’s good for the brain. People sooner talk about gluten intolerance than fish.”

“Julian Fellowes was at the lecture with his wife Emma. We had bread rolls at dinner and she said: ‘I am glutenintolerant and I am not eating that roll’. I took to her instantly.”

Stein is skeptical about cod shortages and the suggestion we should eat pollock instead. “Pollock is not a nice fish. It’s boring. There’s plenty of cod. With fish you are fighting a losing battle against everyone’s wish to think things are bad. They are bad in lots of ways but I’m not sure they are here.”

He doesn’t watch his own shows “much” but has learned “people like me making a fool out of myself, being clumsy. That used to piss me off but there is something funny about people doing silly things. “I’m more confident because I’ve done it so often. It’s gratifying to be in a position where you can have your enthusiasms picked up by others.”

Chalky the dog, who used to co-star on his shows, is still much missed. “Every time I get close to a dog Sas says how much I love them.”

He’s champing at the bit to get to Mexico, where the food “completely knocked me out”. What does he make of Trump and his wall? “Mexicans don’t look on themselves as a poor neighbour. There’s a lot going wrong in Mexico but there’s a lot very right.”

He adds diplomatically: “I like the States too. I am interested in politics but there’s no point getting involved if you are a chef — it’s enough trouble ke e p i n g your kitchens running properly without trying to sort the world out.”

@susannahbutter