Where do you enjoy eating in London?

I’m definitely a creature of habit, though I try to tick off new places when I can. Locally, I love the Lady Mildmay – it’s my pub and they do great food during the week. Albers in De Beauvoir is another favourite. It has that neighbourhood feel, a few tables outside when it’s sunny, and it’s just relaxed and intimate. Beyond that, the place I’ve probably been to most is St John – it’s food I love, done perfectly. I’m also a big fan of Cadet on Newington Green: a couple of glasses of wine, pâté en croûte, saucisson, a few nibbles – that’s my kind of eating. Jolene is in that same bracket. And when I worked in the City, I went to Sweetings all the time. I still love it – no frills, just proper old-school food done well.

If you had one perfect day to eat your way around London, where would you go?

For breakfast, I’d go to St John Bread & Wine in Spitalfields – the devilled kidneys on toast are one of my favourite things in the world, and the blood cake with a fried egg is outstanding.

Lunch is tricky, because I love a long one. I think I’d go for a proper pub lunch at The Cow in Notting Hill. Crab, oysters, a pint of prawns, plenty of Guinness – and a few friends around the table.

Dinner would be Brutto. I love Italian food, it influences so much of my cooking, and the atmosphere there is great – plus the negronis are fantastic.

For drinks, I’m more of a pub man, but I do like Bambi in London Fields. You can have a cocktail after dinner, then the records come on and suddenly it’s a dance floor – it’s brilliant fun. Next Door Records is another good one – I actually did a supper club with them a few years ago, and now they’ve opened a spot near me.

Are we more likely to find you at the supermarket or the farmer’s market?

I’d never say you can’t shop at supermarkets – you absolutely can – but you need to be checking labels and asking yourself, is this in season? You’ve got to know what’s in season before you start filling your basket. The classic example is asparagus. We have incredible asparagus here in the UK, but you’ll still find supermarkets stocking asparagus from Peru during the British season. People think, ‘Oh, it’s asparagus season, I’ll buy some,’ but if it’s travelled across the world, it completely defeats the point.

Seasonality matters then?

For me, seasonality is everything. If you eat with the seasons, your menu naturally changes every month. You won’t have asparagus all year, but when spring comes, you’ll be genuinely excited for it. The same with game when autumn arrives. And if you follow the seasons, you can still eat a balanced diet – there are always vegetables and greens available, just different ones.

What about meat and fish?

For meat and fish I put in a lot of effort. I go to a couple of excellent butchers and fishmongers. My friend Alex and his father run a company called Vincenzo – they usually supply restaurants but also deliver to homes. They know every single farmer they work with and can tell me exactly which region, which farm, everything is from. 

Do you think it’s realistic for most people to shop that way?

I appreciate that not everyone can shop like this – it is a luxury – so I’d never tell people on social media they must buy from certain places. But if you can, meat and fish are where it really makes a difference. At the butcher's the other day, they told me about a piece they’d just broken down – the breed, where it came from, how they’d prepared it. That kind of knowledge and connection makes you more conscious about what you’re eating.

Do you think people in the UK are adventurous enough with their cooking?

I think too many people in this country eat the same five meals on repeat all year round. That sounds incredibly dull to me. Each year, I discover new ingredients I’ve never cooked with before, and it keeps things exciting.

What’s your ultimate comfort food?

Carbonara, without question. I make it all the time. I try not to repeat too many dishes throughout the year – as most of my cooking revolves around seasonality – but Roman pastas are an exception. The beauty of carbonara is that it’s made with guanciale, eggs and parmesan – things you can always have in the cupboard – so you can make it any time. It also has a nostalgia factor. My mum used to make us carbonara every Friday when I was a kid. It wasn’t what I’d call a carbonara now – it had cream, it was pancetta or even bacon rather than guanciale – but it stuck with me.

Talk to us about guilty pleasures…

A Bleecker burger – it never misses. I used to live near one of their dark kitchens, so it would arrive in ten minutes, still piping hot, which was dangerous. Another one is curry goat with rice and peas. If I’ve had a stressful day and I’m on my own, I’ll often order it – because the portion is enormous and I don’t want anyone to see me eat it all. Fried plantain, some proper scotch bonnet hot sauce on the side – that’s heaven.

And your death-row meal?

I think I’d start with a dozen escargot – I love them with a whole baguette, and loads of garlic and herb butter. Then a proper carbonara as my pasta course. For main, a big bistecca alla fiorentina – a Tuscan T-bone steak. I’m not really a dessert person, but I’d finish with madeleines from the French House – they’re not too sweet – with a glass of dessert wine.