Comedian Ed Byrne is a regular on Mock The Week but when he is not cracking gags on the telly he is cracking eggs in the kitchen and knocking up some decent grub for his family. Byrne's culinary skills are set to be revealed in a new BBC series, Celebrity Best Home Cook.
The other famous faces are reality TV star Ferne McCann; broadcaster and former Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls; Don’t Take My Baby and Years And Years actor Ruth Madeley; Celebs Go Dating’s Tom Read Wilson; Coronation Street and Doctor Who actor Shobna Gulati; CBBC presenter and Strictly contestant Karim Zeroual; journalist and presenter Rachel Johnson; comedian and writer Desiree Burch and former Welsh rugby captain Gareth Thomas.
Below Ed Byrne lets us in on some of his kitchen secrets and more.
Celebrity Best Home Cook, Tuesdays from January 26, 9pm, BBC One.
Hello Ed, what is your home cooked signature dish? And how did it come about?
Smoked pork ribs. I cover them in a dry rub that I’ve been perfecting by trial and error for years, then shove them in a barrel smoker for about 10 hours, spraying them with apple juice and cider to keep them moist.
What is your earliest memory of home cooking, who was it with, and what did you make?
As a homework assignment when I was about 10, I had to follow a recipe called 'egg in the nest' which consisted of whipped egg white on toast with the yolk plopped in the middle and then grilled. I think I made it three or four times before admitting it was absolutely revolting and had been invented by somebody with no taste buds.
How are you going to impress the judges?
We can’t say for sure I’m going to impress them at all, but my plan is to try and put as much of my personality into each dish as I can and as little of my hair as possible.
Who do you see as your biggest competition?
I’m hoping to put Ed Balls out early on, just because of the fact that while we’re both in the competition everyone will have to refer to us by our full names to avoid confusion.
Who is the most famous person you’ve cooked for, and what did you make?
I don’t think I’ve ever cooked for a famous person in my life! I might have barbecued a sausage for Dara Ó Briain but that’s about it.
It’s late, you’ve just come home after a long day - what’s your go to, ready in a flash meal?
Like most blokes, I’m very comfortable around a spaghetti bolognese. The key here is to chuck in a bit of chorizo.
When you’re at home who is the cook, and what do you love them to make (if it’s not you doing the cooking!)
Don’t tell my mother, but my wife’s roast potatoes are the best in the world.
If you were made of three ingredients, what would they be and why?
Spicy Chorizo, because while I can be a bit fiery I generally can be thrown in to anything.
Egg because I work just as well even if I’m scrambled or fried.
Porridge because I’m surprisingly popular in Scotland
How have your adventures across Central America influenced what you eat at home?
Watching how they make fresh tortillas in little roadside shacks in Mexico and Central America really made me want to try it at home. It’s surprisingly easy to get the hang of. I can’t make Pepián the way they do in Guatemala.
How do you feel about entering the competition and have your comedy colleagues offered any words of wisdom?
I’m pretty excited, to tell the truth. My overall attitude is, what have I got to lose? As for words of wisdom from comedy colleagues, Dara Ó Briain just said, “Don’t be yourself".
Interview suppled by BBC
