This interview was originally published in Radio Times magazine.
The husband-and-wife stars of John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen, John Torode and Lisa Faulkner, open up about their budget recipes, cooking for their kids and the one show they have to watch.
What’s your TV-watching set-up?
Lisa: We have a sofa each. I’m in one corner on one and John’s on the other. If the kids are there, I’m on the end. Nobody moves John.
Is there anything you’ve recently watched together?
John: I liked The Midwich Cuckoos, with Max Beasley and Keeley Hawes.
Lisa: [to John] Oh, you did like it.
John: I don’t really watch TV.
Lisa: John sits there and plays Patience.
John: Or Scrabble.
Lisa: Or Scrabble. I binge watch. I’ve just finished Everything I Know About Love. I really…
John: [interrupting] I quite like a movie. But I’m not very good with drama. There’s enough drama in the world already.
Lisa: Hard thing his wife’s an actress.
I take it you have the remote, Lisa?
Lisa: Yes.
John: I have no real desire to have the remote.
Lisa: One thing we do watch is MasterChef, but I’ll say we watch it because I want to.
John: There’s only so much of your own voice you can listen to.
How do you feel about seeing yourselves on screen?
Lisa: My acting shows, my things, we haven’t really watched.
John: Everything you’ve ever been in, I’ve watched.
Lisa: Oh, sorry. OK. I don’t sit down to watch them, so I haven’t seen John watch them.
John: But I have to watch MasterChef.
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Moving on, what can we expect from the new series of Weekend Kitchen?
John: We’re trying to do dishes that are doable and a bit of fun. I’ve learnt a lot from Lisa about what people want to cook at home. A lot of basics, especially for Christmas and New Year, which can be really stressful for people.
Obviously it’s a worrying time with the cost of food spiralling. Have you been conscious about showcasing budget-friendly recipes?
Lisa: Absolutely. Our food shop has doubled, and it’s terrifying. We have a couple of showstoppers, but out of 45 recipes, only two or three are expensive. The others are supermarket value.
When it comes to cooking, who takes the reins at home?
Lisa: We both cook all the time.
John: It depends on what’s going on and who’s there. And what’s in the fridge.
Tell us an ingredient you think deserves more love.
John: Parsley. Or herbs in general.
Lisa: Handfuls of herbs.
John: Not a little bit. Not smatterings. Not “a pinch of”. Massive amounts. Put them in salad. Put them in sauces. They really change everything, and they’re good for you.
How do your kids feel about eating meat?
John: They go through phases, but my oldest son is very much flexitarian. He tries to be as plant-based as possible, but he comes to us and is very happy to have a T-bone steak.
Do you ever have to cook separate meals to satisfy everybody’s preferences?
Lisa: We try not to.
John: No way in the world. If your children are almost at the age where they look after themselves, ask them to cook everyone dinner using what they like. I bet you any money in three weeks’ time they’ll be going, “Oh, no, Mum – I’ll eat whatever you want me to eat.”
John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen continues on Saturday 1st October at 11:35am on ITV.
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