Rachel Khoo

“Wild garlic and crab is a revelatory pairing.”

“Fika is a bit like afternoon tea but with coffee and pastries instead of sandwiches.”

“I'm less Soho House these days, more Airbnb. It's just so useful to have a washing machine, or to rock up somewhere with a baby bed and all the other kit provided.”

“I remember a trip to Malaysia to visit my dad's family when I was eight. It was Christmas and they roasted a whole suckling pig on the fire and it made me nauseous.”

“Every Frenchie has inherited their own way of making ratatouille, usually just as maman used to make. Well, my mum never made one, so I consider that my licence to make mine as I please.”

“Whatever I do, whether it's cooking shows, books or events, the details count and that's what sets me apart from other food TV personalities. If you take out the details what's left?”

“I inherited my 1960s copy of 'French Provincial Cooking' by Elizabeth David from my mother Gabrielle, who in turn inherited it from her mother Frances. It was my bible when I first moved to Paris aged 26.”

“Angel cake is an American classic; a delicate meringue gently merged with minimal flour and zero butter, angelic because of its fluffy texture.”

“Education in Bavaria is tough. You fail sports, you have to repeat the year.”

“I used to have a bit of a thing against starting a meal with soup. I'd find they were often too heavy, filling you up rather than igniting the appetite. Plus, I'd end up mopping it up with scoops of baguette.”

“I think for me the final push to move to Paris was the fact I wanted an adventure and I was slightly bored of my life in London.”

“I adore flaky croissants and buttery millefeuilles. But sometimes I like to steer the other way, opting for light, airy cakes enriched with tart red fruits.”

“Brittany might not boast the biggest collection of Michelin stars in France, but when it comes to produce, you quickly realise that some of the key building blocks of French cuisine have their roots here.”

“I will always look at my little Paris apartment with fond memories but I am too old to be sleeping on a futon bed!”

“Children love cupcakes and so do I - a good one makes the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.”

“When I studied at the Parisian cookery school Le Cordon Bleu, making shortcrust pastry was one of the first techniques I learned.”

“Like its breakfast companion Marmite, jam seems to divide the crowds. In many of its mass-produced guises, it seems barely acquainted with the fruit named on the jar, tasting mostly of sugar.”

“The Great British summer has many qualities, but unfortunately guaranteed warm weather is not one of them.”

“I had a baptism of fire when I cooked in the Little Paris Kitchen.”

“Nothing could be more French than pastry.”