Lisa Faulkner and her husband, John Torode CBE, are one of the UK’s most recognisable food duos, combining warmth, expertise and a shared passion for accessible home cooking and organisers are delighted to welcome them back to the Festival of Food and Drink at Thoresby Park.
John and Lisa’s new book, John & Lisa’s Weeknight Dinners, is out this month. They will be signing copies at the festival on Saturday 19th September as well as treating visitors to two demos and dropping into the VIP area.
Lisa began her career as a successful actor in series such as Holby City, Spooks and Dangerfield, before winning Celebrity MasterChef in 2010 and moving into food. She has since become a bestselling cookery writer and familiar TV face, appearing on Lorraine, This Morning and co-hosting John & Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen.
John, a highly respected chef and long-standing presenter of MasterChef, has built a career spanning television, publishing and global food travel. Widely credited with introducing Australasian cuisine to the UK, he was awarded an MBE in 2022 for services to food and broadcasting, and continues to front acclaimed culinary travel series.
We get to know them better with our five quick questions…
What can people expect to see from you at the Festival of Food and Drink?
Some lovely recipes and inspiration as well as a fun day out! We’re hoping to show you how to take the basic to brilliant with some chef’s tricks, which should make your food delicious not difficult.
What do you think is the one dish everyone should learn to cook?
Lisa: Definitely a basic roast dinner and then you can start trying to build out to the fancier sides.
John: A sponge cake. Once you master that you can make a sponge pudding and Victoria sponge. Plus, it’s so easy – just weigh your eggs and use the same quantity of flour, sugar and butter!
Cooking for yourself or cooking for others?
Cooking for others, always. We love hosting friends and family, everyone is welcome and we just love feeding everyone!
For couples who enjoy cooking together, what advice would you give for making it fun rather than stressful?
Live and let live, always compromise, try and make things you both like. Start by making a nice drink to share and then divide and conquer the tasks.
Nottinghamshire is home to the Bramley apple, and we are approaching apple season. What would be your recommendation for a dish featuring this ingredient?
Apple cake, we have a great easy apple cake recipe. Or a crumble – it would have to be a pud! If not, apple sauce… you can have it on your pork dinner and your granola, very versatile!
Taking place over two days at Thoresby Park on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th September, the Festival of Food and Drink promises a weekend of fabulous foodie fun, including pop up bars, street food, live music, BBQ demos, Taste and Talk sessions, and plenty of children’s activities.
This year’s guest chef line-up includes John Torode and Lisa Faulkner with more of their Weeknight Meals, TV chefs Dean Edwards and Matt Tebbutt, local MasterChef finalist Claire Syrenne and Bake Off winner Jasmine Mitchell. Find out more at www.festivaloffoodanddrink.com.