Carla’s lentil, feta & coriander salad

MY NEW COOKBOOK IS ABOUT my journey towards cooking: as a passionate traveller; as a pretty miserable, single 20-something; as a new girlfriend, a terrified stepmother, then a new mother, and as a crafter learning new things in front of impatient TV cameras. It brings me to now, when cooking is how I relax and what I love to do when I am not working.

These recipes are what I cook day in and day out for my children and stepchildren, my partner Ben and our friends and family. I’ve learnt what works best for us by experimenting – making breakfasts for assorted family and guests, finding the easiest way to feed crowds of people at parties, cooking teas and suppers for recalcitrant children. (All these years later I am still finding my way with the last of these, but I have learnt a few tricks and some of the ideas in the book may help those of you who are faced with a fussy eater.)

Ben and I love entertaining, whether in London or at Grange, our home in Devon. We have lots of big dishes that we turn to for feeding crowds and Sunday lunches that last until teatime, and we are also keen on cooking and eating outside.

Cooks always talk about their food influences, often their mothers or grandmothers. I adored my mother and her early death from breast cancer is the greatest loss of my life so far. She was an inspiration and brilliant at entertaining, but she was not one of my food influences. Oddly, someone I’ve never met – my great-great-grandmother Minnie, Lady Hindlip – has influenced me more in terms of food. That’s because I happened to come across a signed copy of the cookbook she published in 1933. It offers a fascinating insight into life back then and some of her recipes definitely stand the test of time.

I firmly believe that you can find the cook in yourself at any age. Being brought up in a microwave household does not mean you have to pass that legacy on to your children. Fundamentally, the reason for my learning to cook and for writing the book is that I want my children and stepchildren to cook. I want this because food is life, and life is lived better if we know what goes into our meals and take an interest in it. I very much hope you will enjoy what’s served within this special section and that it may tempt you to explore the book itself. TO ALL THOSE WHO CAN’T COOK: IF I CAN, ANYONE CAN, AND IT’S MUCH MORE FUN THAN YOU THINK! If I’m filming I am often away from home or have a very early start and can’t take the boys to school, so I really treasure the days when I can get on my Swifty Scooter and whiz down Ladbroke Grove behind my speed-freak sons. Once they are safely in school, I head to Tea’s Me, a tiny café run by Carla, a Notting Hill legend. As well as running the café, Carla has been catering for every sort of event for years, including some parties of ours. This salad is one that goes down a storm, and I often make it now, too. It’s easy to prepare in advance, feeds the masses and looks lovely. It also seems to last for a few days afterwards, which is fine by me as I’m a great one for leftovers. Bless Carla for letting me include it. SERVES 500g Puy lentils 2 bay leaves 125ml good-quality extra virgin olive oil 90ml lemon juice salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 bunch each of fresh mint and coriander,