“It’s good to challenge yourself… just close your eyes and go for it!
Chef Lisa Faulkner reinvented herself, followed her passion and found love. She opens up about motherhood, surviving grief, balance and change
Working with your other half could be a dream – or a nightmare – but Lisa Faulkner takes it in her stride. The food writer married chef John Torode in 2019, and they host their popular cookery show, ‘John And Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen’, on ITV. Before her reincarnation as a cook, the actor appeared in soaps ‘Brookside’ and ‘Eastenders’, and spy drama ‘Spooks’. But her life took a different path when she won Celebrity Masterchef in 2010 – and she decided to pursue her lifelong love of food.
The mother of one enjoys spending time with her daughter, Billie, 14, and cooking with her family. ‘Cooking is a pleasure and I love that it keeps me close to home. Billie says I show love through food and she’s right – it brings me great joy!’
Faulkner inherited her love of food from her mother, who died when Faulkner was 16. She talks about mental health, taking risks and how she juggles work and parenting.
How have you found the past year and what was the first thing you did when restrictions lifted?
I went out for a meal recently and I felt quite anxious. I was ready to get back to my nest by 10.30pm. I’ve never been a late-night person but I usually do better than that!
As much as I hated lockdown and I’m happy to be back to some form of normality, there were some positives to take from it. John and I cooked a different recipe every day and we enjoyed walks with the kids [John has four children from two previous relationships] and spending time together as a family. In many ways, life was simpler and it was easier to connect. I think we’d like to keep a few of those elements in our post-lockdown lives if we can.
My miniature schnauzer, Rory [named after a character from Gilmore Girls], was my saviour through it all – come rain or shine, she got me out of the house and connecting with nature, which is so important.
You’re a professional cook and a positive and proactive person, but was it a challenge to focus on your health and wellbeing during the pandemic?
It was certainly a challenge! I made fridge cake every week after spotting a recipe on Instagram. It was delicious and helped keep our spirits up. I think we all had to cut ourselves some slack during
the last lockdown. Perhaps the summer months of 2020 didn’t seem too bad, but the winter spell was brutal.
With a teenager at home and a busy career, how have you balanced work and family life with the dreaded homeschooling schedule?
I use the word homeschooling loosely! Billie had online lessons, so thankfully I didn’t have to do any actual teaching – that would have been hell – but getting her motivated every morning to sit in front of a screen for hours was difficult. But we got through it. One positive was that
I got an extra year with my daughter – a year when she probably would have spent much of her time going out with friends, rather than sitting at home with Mum.
A change of career is a big undertaking, but you seem to have made the leap from actress to chef quite effortlessly. What was the transition like?
I still enjoy flexing my acting muscles and I take on small jobs. It was a career that I loved and still do, but there was a point where I kept getting put up for the same sort of character and felt I needed a change and a new challenge. I wanted something ‘unsafe’.
I won Celebrity Masterchef in 2010 and, just before the show aired, I was offered a role on TV soap Emmerdale. It was such a lovely role and I was tempted, but something in me was saying, ‘No, you want to cook!’ It was a sort of gut feeling. I was working in restaurants at the time, trying to get as much experience as possible. I decided to take the plunge and turn down the acting job to focus on cooking. I had no idea it would become my career but I am so glad I took the risk. In many ways, I still use my skills as an actor in my role as a chef – there’s a lot of performing involved. It’s been hard work but I feel so lucky – I get to do what I love and what I find comforting in this exciting realm.
What gave you the confidence to take that leap of faith?
I lost my mother [to cancer] when I was 16 and, even though she was ill, it was still a complete shock. I think it made me realise that life is too short and you never know what’s around the corner. As a result, I’ve always taken every opportunity that comes my way, and I tend to go with my gut – I just close my eyes and jump in! It’s good to challenge yourself from time to time. It’s not always possible but, if you get an opportunity, just close your eyes and go for it!
I come from a family of passionate cooks – my mum and my grandmothers on both sides were fantastic cooks and big on dinner parties and occasions centred around food. In my early days, when I used to travel as a model, one of the first things my grandparents would ask me when I spoke to them on the phone was: ‘What’s the food like where you are?’
Have you always had a healthy relationship with food?
No, and when I started my career as a model and actress it became more troubled. I worried about my body and became more concerned about what I ate. It’s fair to say it was up and down for a period. However, the thing that saved me was probably my upbringing and my underlying love of food. I was always hungry and I always wanted to eat. As much as I might have been concerned about my weight or appearance, I would eventually
“In my early days, when I used to travel as a model, one of the first things my grandparents would ask me when I spoke to them on the phone was: ‘What’s the food like where you are?’”
cave and go and get a Mcdonald’s. I think this desire to eat really kept me from going any further down that worrying path.
Thankfully, these days I’m more relaxed about things. I can see my body changing and I might not be as slim as I used to be, but I don’t let it stress me out. It’s a long game and I don’t want a punishing regime that I can’t keep up – I prefer something I can stick to, while enjoying a little of what I fancy.
What’s your philosophy on food?
I remember hearing Mary Berry being interviewed a few years ago… She said she regularly enjoyed a piece of cake and the interviewer asked why she wasn’t overweight. She explained that she only ever ate one small slice at a time. I thought her response was so balanced and lovely, and I think I’ve adopted that food philosophy for myself. Food is there to be enjoyed; cooking it and eating it is something I love. As humans, I think we’re all too good at becoming obsessive and taking things to the extreme. We might give up drinking, for example, and replace it with excessive exercise, but I’m a big believer in everything in moderation.
While you advocate a slice of cake for wellbeing, you also care about health and fitness. What’s your exercise routine?
My sister is a yoga teacher, so I do one of her classes – in person or virtually – every morning after dropping Billie at school. For me, yoga isn’t just about exercise, it’s an hour to myself, time to think and time to breathe. I also enjoy a good stomp through the countryside with Rory every day. I don’t like things to be too regimented when it comes to exercise – I do what I enjoy.
You lost your mother when you were a teenager and your journey to motherhood wasn’t what you expected [Lisa adopted Billie in 2008 when Billie was 18 months old]. How do you keep yourself in a healthy headspace during life’s challenges?
I’ve had therapy and counselling at various points throughout my life. I saw a counsellor at 18 after losing my mum, and I think it’s fair to say that she saved me. I’m certainly not ashamed to admit when I need to speak to someone. I think it’s important to seek help when you need it. You’ll often find that when you speak out about this sort of thing with friends and family that others start to share their experiences too, which can be a real eye-opener.
I’m incredibly lucky to have a wonderful, loving family. My dad, sister and I are so close, and my sister’s children are like my second children – my sister and I live around the corner from each other. I have a wonderful daughter and an amazing husband. We have our ups and downs, like every family, but we’re always there for each other and we make time to talk.
What projects are you working on at the moment?
We’re filming more episodes of John And Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen. It’s so much fun and we love cooking up new recipes together. John’s Thai food is amazing and I love tasting the different dishes.
I’m also honoured to have a small ‘blink and you’ll miss me’ part in upcoming BBC series The Girl Before [a psychological drama based on JP Delaney’s book of the same name]. It was wonderful to be part of that!
Lisa Faulkner shares her recipes on Instagram @lisafaulknercooks; catch up on ‘John And Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen’ on ITV Hub
“For me, yoga isn’t just about exercise, it’s an hour to myself, time to think and time to breathe”