Rachel Khoo

“I couldn't be a supermodel, hats off. I'll stick to the kitchen!”

“I went to art college. I like to be creative. I use food as my medium at the moment but it could easily be illustrations in the future, or something else.”

“To follow my meal, I'd drink a glass of my uncle's homemade apricot schnapps. He puts it in beautiful glass bottles and sells it at his local market in Austria. You don't normally drink with Asian food, so this would be a fitting end to the meal.”

“It's great that Mary Berry got a primetime TV show, but I don't think there are enough women chefs on TV.”

“I've lived in so many different countries over the years. I spent most of my early life in the UK, five years in Germany and summers in Austria before moving to Paris.”

“My cookbooks are like a personal journey for me, they're like a chapter in my life.”

“The Little Paris Kitchen' was about my experience of living and cooking in Paris, 'My little French Kitchen' about my travels around France and 'Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook' was a peek into my personal cooking diary with influences from around the world.”

“My mum still needs all her pots and pans, so she's not giving me any of hers yet.”

“While they might have got a bit fancier over the years, I still relish a good packed lunch if I am on the road, with that mounting excitement for a particular goodie I've wrapped up for the trip and the challenge of holding out for as long as I can before I cave.”

“As a woman you have to tick all these boxes to be able to be on TV. I know I look a certain way and that's partly why I'm on TV. If I were really ugly and fat, I don't think I'd have had the same chance.”

“A visit to the Rennes market, one of the finest I have seen in France, alone will convince you of the virtues of Breton gastronomy. It's a testament to the fact that Brittany is Frances' most agriculturally active region, with the producers themselves peddling their products, a vocal bunch, full of recipe ideas and passion.”

“A sandwich needn't be loaded with bacon or ham to make it a serious feast.”

“For me, the best burger buns are made from an enriched dough, soft and absorbent enough to soak up all the juices.”

“I love cheese. It intensified when I moved to France. It felt like my cheese shop lady was my dealer because every week I'd say, 'I need this cheese, I need that cheese', and she'd cut me enough for the week but I'd finish a whole piece in one go.”

“When I first moved to Paris, I worked as an au pair for two girls aged eight and 11.”

“Ramen is Japanese soul food, appealing to old and young, rich and poor.”

“The northern Japanese ramen is characterised by its miso base. In the south, the ramen may steer more towards a seafood-based broth, while in Tokyo, virtually every style of ramen exists.”

“I always say I'm more of a food writer than a TV presenter, because that's what I'm trained in, that's what I spend most of my year doing. TV is about performance and I've never had any training.”