By the time Manu was kicked out of school at 15 he'd trained at circus school for three years, so felt his future as an entertainer was set. His mother thought cooking was a safer bet than juggling and clowning; she sent him to work with his chef father in his huge bistro in Brittany, doing 200 covers a day. Feildel comes from a long line of chefs and fine home cooks, and recalls never rejecting a meal while growing up. It's something he's had to finesse as a judge on My Kitchen Rules, which has begun its seventh season.
The staples
My pantry: There's this crispy chilli sambal which my Malaysian wife, Clarissa, introduced to me a couple of years ago and I can't stop eating. It goes into fried rice, noodles, anything needing a bit of heat. I like the robust Alto olive oil for cooking when I'm not using butter and in dressings. There are always tinned sardines for a snack on toast with butter and cracked pepper. I think Kewpie mayo is the closest thing to making your own. It's great if you want to make a quick tuna sandwich for lunch.
My fridge: Butter, just Devondale from the supermarket, I use all the time for cooking. Of course there's cream for sauces, scrambled eggs, mushrooms. Creme fraiche for soups but not for cooking, as it splits too easily. I like streaky bacon because the layered fat helps it crisp up nicely. It also goes into bolognese, carbonara, breakfasts. I really love eggs in any form, we all love them, but I like them to be organic. At brunch on the weekend I could easily eat four eggs.
Last dinner at home
I could eat bacon every day for the rest of my life. My last meal would be a bacon sandwich.
It was a barbecue lunch that extended out to dinner. So we started at 1pm and finished at 10pm. We had lamb cutlets, merguez sausages, pork and apple-cider sausages, rump cap beef. We had two beautiful salads as well – just the normal tomato, basil and feta one, and a snowpea, red cabbage, fennel and dill one with lemon dressing.
Secret vice
Clarissa can work magic with Myojo noodles. We stock up on them whenever we go to KL to visit the in-laws.
I'm drinking
I have a double shot latte in the morning, that's it, made in the Nespresso. I occasionally have a strong cup of Twinings English Breakfast tea made with a teabag and a bit of milk. I'm living a bit cleaner these days so not drinking as much. I love my whiskeys, as long as they're not smoky, and after a hard day at work. We only drink wine when we have friends around; for red I like pinot noir like this Greystone one, in whites I like riesling, such as Prinz von Hessen.
Saturday night tipple
Grey Goose vodka with lime and soda
My toolkit
I collect chopping boards when I travel. I love their weight and the timber's different smells. I like this Dreamfarm garlic crusher because I hate peeling and chopping garlic and it deals with whole unpeeled cloves. I love my Chasseur pots; they last forever, the heat distribution is perfect and you can put a bolognese on low and leave it for two hours without a worry. They're just beautiful.
Favourite
I had this knife roll made in Texas by a saddler. It holds all the knives I use regularly, including ones going back to my apprenticeship.
Inspiration
I get it from travels, cookbooks and the internet. Chef Fergus Henderson is amazing, the godfather of nose-to-tail cooking, and he's a real inspiration. He can make simple food taste great.
Kitchen highlight
I love that it's open and there's so much storage. If I had to change one thing I'd put the stovetop on the island and the sink at the back where the stove is now.
Discovery
I've just been to Japan for the first time and I've discovered all the different types of ramen with different bases and regional variations as well.
Most memorable meal
A couple of years ago we went to Sepia for my birthday and it's probably my favourite fine dining in Australia. I'm a bit over the modernised food that's around at the moment, deconstructing everything, it's all flowers and plants and you get home and you've forgotten what you had. Martin Benn is able to cook refined food that still resembles what it is.
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