CELEBRITY CHEF RICK STEIN TALKS TO PAUL EWART
ABOUT PORTION CONTROL WITH CHOPSTICKS,
SWIMMING AS MEDITATION, AND THE TRAGEDY THAT
TOOK HIM TO AUSTRALIA
In the kitchen
“I’m very lucky that for the 25-odd
years I was cooking, my weightwas pretty regular,” Rick tells Good
Health & Wellbeing.
While he’s savvy to the health benefits
of seafood now, it wasn’t part of his
rationale when he opened his first bistro
back in 1975.
“I didn’t go out of my way to be health
conscious,” he admits. “I’ve just always
loved seafood. It’s great that it’s not only
good for your weight, but also generally.
Fish is packed with omega oils, which
are great for the brain.”
Rick’s first food outlet in Cornwall
went on to spawn an empire that
now includes multiple restaurants,
bistros and cafés, alongside a seafood
delicatessen and cookery school. But
at the backbone of his business is an
infectious enthusiasm for locally caught
seafood, and a no-nonsense style ofPLATE
A ful
C
ulinary genius, bestselling author,
serial restaurateur and globally
recognised TV personality, Rick
Stein wears many (chef’s) hats.
In a career spanning five decades- during which he’s published 20
best-selling cookery books and made
more than 30 TV shows – the down-to-
earth Cornish-born foodie has built a
reputation for delectable dishes. But
given that seafood has been his culinary
currency, unlike many of his chef
contemporaries he’s managed to avoid
the curse of the kitchen weight gain
that so often comes with the calorie-
laden territory.
cooking. It’s a culinary philosophy that
certainly resonates, given that he now
boasts an army of fans across the world.
Natural and simple is his public
approach to cooking, but this down-to-
earth, no-frills approach to food is also
how he eats at home and it’s a way of
eating that has its roots in his childhood
upbringing on a farm in Oxfordshire in
the UK.
“My mother used its produce in the
kitchen,” he says. “She made very plain,
English-style food, cooked exceptionally.
It instilled in me a belief in simple food
done very well and it’s what I’ve based
my subsequent career on – attempting
to recreate the cooking I did at home
with my mum.
“I think the whole act of cooking makes
you realise the importance of diet. »‘I did’ g ou o
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be inspired