First Dates’ Fred Sirieix gives has favourite holiday spots across the UK
‘I’ve been here for 32 years, which is longer than I’ve been in France’
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Your support makes all the difference.Celebrity maître d’hotel Fred Sirieix may have recently returned from Paris, where he saw his daughter Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix win a bronze medal in the women’s synchronised diving – but his heart belongs to Britain.
The enthusiastic TV personality, who with Gordon Ramsay and Gino D’Acampo has toured Europe and the US in search of culinary delights in ITV’s Gordon, Gino And Fred: Road Trip, is now focusing his attention closer to home, with his memoir, Seriously British.
Brought up in Limoges, in western France, where meals were elaborate and rigid, and food was predominantly French cuisine, he left for the UK in 1992 at the age of 20 after securing a job at the three Michelin-starred restaurant La Tante Claire in Chelsea.
The book is a homage to Britain, its beautiful countryside, buzzing cities, wonderful locally-sourced ingredients and the culture he so loves.
“I’ve been here for 32 years, which is longer than I’ve been in France,” he reflects. “I feel British.”
Sirieix, who has two daughters from a previous relationship, lives in Kent with his partner, who he calls ‘Fruitcake’ to protect her privacy.
He has long embraced British culture and in his book relays stories of all the wonderful places he has visited during his career, from Devon and Cornwall, to the Lake District and Loch Fyne, Scotland.
Here, he looks at five of his favourite UK destinations.
1. The New Forest, England
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“In the New Forest I drank English sparkling wine, called Hambledon, for the first time. You’ve got to get a bottle, it’s very good. There’s a fruitiness to it, it’s biscotti with lovely fine bubbles and it’s perfectly balanced, very elegant.
“I was staying in a hotel with Fruitcake and we were drinking it in the spa. It was a lovely, romantic experience.
“I love the woods in the New Forest – you can walk for miles and I love being lost in the British countryside. It’s also very close to the sea so you’ve got the best of both worlds, not only in terms of food but in terms of scenery. You have the wild ponies.”
2. The Gower Peninsula, Wales
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“I went there three or four years ago, filming an episode of Remarkable Places To Eat with (chef, food writer and Wahaca co-founder) Thomasina Miers – it was insane, miles and miles of sand, unspoilt beaches and there’s nobody there.
“There’s a very rich gastronomy there that we don’t know in London or in other parts of the UK, like laverbread. It’s made with seaweed and there are different recipes. We went to this restaurant on the beach where laverbread was being made with fresh seaweed.
“Another time, I was walking in the Gower and I remember coming across these three people travelling together who were camping. We stopped and asked what they were doing and one of them replied, saying he was travelling with his sister and a friend. They were cooking on the fire and invited me for a beer.
“It was lovely, so simple. There was no chi-chi. They offered me food they were cooking on their stove – a bean casserole with some sausages.
“After about an hour, he said, ‘Hey, are you the guy…?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I’m the guy’ and the girl said, ‘My brother is single’ and I said, ‘I’m going to get you on the next First Dates’. We exchanged emails, but it didn’t work out.”
3. Edinburgh, Scotland
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“I’ve been to Edinburgh many times because my daughter has competed in Edinburgh a lot, especially British-led (diving) championships, which take place there.
“Waking up in Edinburgh in the shadow of the castle and walking from the western end of the Royal Mile, you get gloriously lost in intoxicating myths and legends.
“The great thing is that you’re in a Scottish city, it’s old, it’s beautiful. I love the old stone buildings, and then you go to Arthur’s Seat. I like the Scottish accent and the warmth of the Scots and the fact they love the French because we have this old alliance, so they love you just because you are French.
“I’ve had some exquisite experiences at Tim Kitchin’s restaurant The Kitchin. Tom was head chef at Le Tante Claire, the first restaurant I ever worked in, so we come from the same pedigree.
“In Scotland you have the best seafood in the world: oysters, langoustine, lobster, crab, mussels, whelks, cockles, all this.”
4. County Antrim, Northern Ireland
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“I was filming B&B By The Sea, very close to Bushmills, the oldest distillery in the UK. We met Rory, a local tour guide who knew everything about the history of Ireland, where it is now and where it might be going and we sat around the table with some local people. I found the Irish really warm and hospitable.
“The next day, I woke and said, ‘Guys, we are near the sea, let’s go and swim’. Rory had never been in the sea. But I said, ‘We have to enjoy everything that we’ve got’. And they reluctantly agreed. It was cold but it wasn’t freezing. It was the most amazing swim. Everyone was so exhilarated and excited.”
5. Kent
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“I’m in Bromley now and what I love about Kent is that you are just at the border of London and the countryside. If I drive five minutes from my house I’m in the middle of nowhere. If I drive a little bit further I’m in the (Kent) Downs. You can go for 15-20km and you don’t see a soul.
“I love the rolling hills and the oast houses where they put the hops in the old days. You come across old villages and old houses, it’s very quaint, very British.
“The gardens are a delight because the Brits have a way with gardens. For me, a perfect garden has to be good enough to be in Chelsea Flower Show – that’s what I’m aiming for at home.”
‘Seriously British’ by Fred Sirieix is published in hardback by Bloomsbury, priced £20. Available now.
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