Welcome back to What’s Cooking, Metro’s food series where we find out exactly what’s going on behind the scenes in the nation’s kitchens.
This week, we’re at home with Kate Ferdinand to find out what she’s really got hiding in her cupboard, fridge and freezer.
The 34-year-old TV personality and podcast host, who recently became a HelloFresh ambassador, opened up about her favourite meals to cook for husband and their five kids, as well as the treats she just can’t live without.
Kate claims her day ‘revolves’ around food and while she used to fast, she now has to eat three meals every single day.
She also revealed she’s had a rather bizarre foodie fixation for the last two-and-a-half years and she’s managed to get Rio into it too.
If you’ve ever wondered what the former TOWIE star really eats, we’ve got the answers…
First, tell us a secret… What’s your ultimate guilty pleasure food?
I’m addicted to mayonnaise and it’s a problem… I’m not joking. I have it on everything, apart from roast dinner and breakfast. I would literally eat it with anything else. Some of my friends take the mick out of me about it as everywhere we go, I’ll be asking for mayonnaise.
Name one thing you always have in the store cupboard?
I LOVE Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate. I like to be healthy and I probably am about 80% of the time, but I don’t believe in restricting everything from my life — you only live once, so we always have some Dairy Milk in the cupboard.
We all love it so we tend to buy the big bars, but I like the buttons as well. I just buy the plain stuff, no nuts, I like to keep it simple.
At the moment I treat myself to some on a Friday and I think of them as my ‘Dairy Milk Fridays’. When the end of the week comes, you know I’m clucking for the Dairy Milk.
And one item that must be in your fridge at all times?
Yoghurt.
This will probably sound bizarre but I’ve had the same breakfast every single day for about two-and-a-half years. The exact same one, I never deviate.
I have the yoghurt with granola, fruit and honey on top, and I even make homemade granola, which is a mixture of oats, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds and sunflower seeds, honey, vanilla extract and olive oil.
I’m so obsessed with it I’ll take the granola with me on the plane when I go on holiday so I can keep having the same breakfast.
I make a batch of it every week, but Rio has recently started eating it for dessert as a little treat when he’s trying to be healthy, it’s lovely but it means I’m running out quicker.
What about in the freezer?
Frozen mango for the kids’ smoothies. They have the same one every day because it’s so delicious. It’s made with coconut water, vegan yoghurt, frozen mango, passion fruit, banana and honey.
Is there an item you’re always willing to splurge on at the supermarket?
When I want a treat, I’ll buy a nice steak to cook and we’ll have that with homemade chips and some grean beens and carrots, or sometimes with prawns for a bit of surf and turf.
Alternatively, what’s something you never splash the cash on?
I’m not massively bothered about buying big name brands as I think if something tastes good, it tastes good. I think most of the cupboard bits we have are own-brand, but one thing I do really like are supermarket fizzy sweets – the Strawberry Pencils from Sainsbury’s (70p) are lovely and the Waitrose Strawberry Lances (65p) too.
Are there any foods you just can’t eat?
I’m quite fussy with food… I hate the texture of beans, peas and sweetcorn, and I also don’t like tomatoes, or lettuce. Honestly, salad isn’t really for me.
I’d love to get one of those really delicious-looking salads you see in shops, but I’m just quite fussy. Maybe one day I’ll have one and see.
Have you got any great cooking tips to share?
M&S roast potato seasoning is a game-changer, it’s my absolute favourite thing. I’ve just moved to Dubai and I’m currently searching for it. I need to bring a suitcase of it back here with me next time I’m in the UK.
I love using it when I’m making a roast dinner for the family, it’s become a bit of a tradition that we have one every Sunday when we’re all together.
I’d never made a roast before I met Rio, which is crazy to me, as now I cook one for about 12 people, as the boys come over and bring their girlfriends. It’s a bit like being in a canteen, it’s funny.
How important is dinner time for your family?
Meal time is one of the only times where we all actually get together, talk and debrief. We’re not all always there every single night together, because of busy schedules, so when we are dinner is very important.
Finally, what’s been cooking lately?
I’m a bit of a creature of habit and tend to cook the same things on a weekly rotation, but I’ve been making a lot of HelloFresh meals recently and what I really like about them is that they give you things you’d never even think about making and it always tastes really nice.
It’s great to switch things up and it gives you something to look forward to at the end of the day. You can also get the kids involved with making it too and spend a bit of extra time together after they’ve been at school.
We recently had some pork tacos from HelloFresh and they were so delicious.
Want to take part in What’s Cooking and let Metro raid your kitchen at home? Email courtney.pochin@metro.co.uk
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