Midweek meals: TV cooking duo share three simple recipes 

Lisa Faulkner – one half of a TV cooking duo with husband John Torode – has revealed that food has “played a huge part” in her recovery since a breast cancer diagnosis.

The 54-year-old revealed in July she underwent “quite a big op” after a mammogram showed early-stage cancer, and has had radiotherapy.

“It’s been tough having radiotherapy and very tiring – much more tiring than I thought it was,” Faulkner said. “But I’m so grateful and happy to be healing.”

The actor-turned-chef describes the last few months as positive, saying: “I’m feeling much more like myself”.

Faulkner has presented ITV’s John & Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen for seven years alongside Torode, 61. The pair, who wed in 2019 after meeting on BBC’s Celebrity MasterChef, are known for sharing accessible, feel-good recipes on the programme and online.

“Food has definitely played a huge part in my recovery in the fact that I feel that I want to nourish my body,” says Faulkner, previously known for her roles in EastEnders and Holby City, before winning Celebrity MasterChef in 2010. “I want to look after my body as much as I can.

Australian-born Torode’s home cooking has helped bring solace during a difficult period, too.

“Luckily, I live with a fantastic chef who has really cooked comfort food and healthy food.

“I think all food is healthy – even when it’s comfort [food] – because that’s doing you good too.

“I’ve been very lucky because I had somebody who would make me gorgeous food and make me feel very loved and very looked after.”

It’s been a challenging year for the couple, also following Torode’s departure from BBC’s MasterChef – but Faulkner says coming home to each other at the end of the day and preparing a meal is “our happy place”.

Torode presented MasterChef for two decades from 2005 with Gregg Wallace, before Wallace was sacked after 45 misconduct allegations against him were upheld in a review. Torode was also sacked from the BBC following allegations of using racist language, which were upheld as part of the same report.

The couple are now focusing on their latest project, a second recipe book together: John & Lisa’s Weekend Dinners. The premise is born out of the couple’s own hassle-free approach to home cooking – without sacrificing on flavour.

“I have to say, I’m a fan of putting something in the oven and going off for a little while,” smiles Faulkner. “So anything that I can shove in the oven, that’s great for me, and I love a one-pot thing.”

She adds: “For me, a process – something that’s very easy, but it’s got different bits to do in it – just stops my brain going, and I can lose myself in making it.

“It might take a long time, but I quite like that. I like to sit in the kitchen, just chopping away, bubbling the sauce. All those little components that come together, that’s just about relaxation for me, more than anything.”

Torode, who regularly appears on ITV’s This Morning, adds: “When the two of us come together to cook, it’s very much about the joy of feeding friends and family.

“I love food and I love people to enjoy it and put a smile on their face with it. I think great food and conversation around the table is joyous.”

With sections for one-pan dishes, quick and easy recipes, treats for Friday nights in, and dishes that will impress a crowd without being overly complicated, the couple say the selection is a reflection of what they themselves like to cook.

“I feel like everyone has a routine, or a list of about five or six recipes that’s on a rotation,” Faulkner says.

“And so many friends, and people on Instagram and YouTube would say: ‘Oh, what would you make for dinner? Is there something easy, or something quick, or something which uses a few cheats?’ “We thought: ‘Well, this is how we cook a lot’. So we wanted to put it in a book.”

Torode agrees there is no shame in ‘cheating’ at cooking. Whether that’s buying a tub of pre-made guacamole instead of making your own, or buying flatbreads instead of following a recipe, he says: “What we do cook at home is what we feed our friends, our family, and our loved ones, and I think that’s what good food’s all about.

“We’ve always wanted to inspire people to cook at home, but also to have the ability to do the odd cheat here and there,” he adds.

“The lessons I learned as a professional chef are very different. But when the two of us come together to cook, it’s very much about the joy of feeding friends and family.”

While Torode and Faulkner maintain that having a steady stock of ingredients and “what we call flavour enhancers” is essential for any home cook, they say that many people will be surprised by the power and versatility of standard ingredients they already have in their cupboards.

“Lisa’s always been brilliant at using Marmite! Somehow or another, Marmite just seems to hit things quite readily, and it makes a massive [difference],” says Torode. “I like Vegemite myself, just so you know, I’m a Vegemite man. We add things like miso, which makes a massive difference to a dish as far as flavour. Not being shy with herbs.”

John & Lisa’s Weeknight Dinners, by John Torode and Lisa Faulkner, is published in hardback by Quadrille. Photography by Dan Jones.

Courgette & Cheese Frittata

A light, fluffy courgette bake packed with cheesy goodness. “Although this may sound like an Italian classic, it is actually inspired by my Aunty Mary in Australia,” says John Torode.

“It’s her party piece. Should she be asked she will always bring her ‘Zucchini Slice’ as she calls it, when she comes over. Mark, my brother, has also learnt the recipe and so here it is for all to see, cook and share.

“Don’t forget to add a little bit of love – it’s not in the ingredients or the method but Mary swears by it.”

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

Vegetable oil, for greasing

4 eggs

2tsp dried Italian herbs

50g Parmesan, grated, plus extra for the top

100g feta cheese, crumbled

150ml double cream

120g self-raising flour

700-800g courgettes, thinly sliced

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad, or coleslaw and pickles, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C fan/200C/gas mark 6. Grease and line a 20cm-square cake tin.

2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the herbs and some salt and pepper. Add the cheeses and the cream and beat again until well mixed. Add the flour and mix well so there are no lumps.

3. Add sliced courgettes to the bowl and mix it all together. It’s that easy!

4. Pour into prepared tin and grate over some extra Parmesan. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until light golden and set.

5. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes, then remove from tin and slice into big squares. Serve with salad – we like it with coleslaw and pickles, but you choose.

Crispy Paprika Pork Belly & Potatoes

Crispy crackling gives way to tender, melt-in-the-mouth pork.

Roast pork takes time but doesn’t need to be played around with. Season it well and let it cook slowly. The potatoes act as a trivet, so air circulates around the meat and cooks it evenly.

Enjoy when you’ve got people coming round on a weeknight and watch them all smile as they crunch on the crackling and are wowed by the tender, addictive pork and soft potatoes.

Ingredients (serves 8-10)

2kg bone-in, skin-on pork belly

2tsp salt

4 garlic cloves, finely grated

2tbsp smoked paprika

2tbsp vegetable oil

Juice of 1 lemon

6 large potatoes, peeled and halved

125ml water

Method

1. With a very sharp knife, deeply prick or lightly score the skin of the pork. In a mixing bowl, combine salt, garlic, paprika, oil and lemon juice. Rub the pork with the marinade and set aside for an hour, if you have the time.

2. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 150C fan/170C/gas mark 3.

3. Place potatoes in a large roasting tray, lay pork over top and pour over any remaining marinade. Pour the water into bottom of tin, then cover tightly with foil and roast in oven for three hours.

4. Remove foil and increase oven temperature to 180C fan/200C/gas mark 6. Cook for a further 40-45 minutes, till skin of pork is crisp.

5. Remove from oven and rest for 30 minutes. While it is resting, remove the potatoes from the tin and keep warm. Spoon off and discard any excess fat or oil.

6. When rested, cut ribs from the pork and cut up into single ribs (you could keep the ribs for a snack later, or serve now), then cut pork into big slabs and serve with the potatoes. Pour pork resting juices into jug to serve alongside.

Tip: You can make this a couple of days in advance and should it not all get eaten the first time, it freezes well. To reheat, only once, cut into chunks, wrap in foil and place in preheated oven at 180C fan/200C/gas mark 6 for 20 minutes. Open foil up and give it five more minutes so skin goes crisp. The potatoes are great reheated in the microwave.

Maple Butter Crumpets with Crispy Bacon

A sweet-and-savoury breakfast inspired by Australia.

“Australians do a brilliant brekkie! On a recent trip to Manly (John’s favourite place in Sydney), we would walk to a coffee shop around the corner from our hotel and every morning have something different, as there was so much to choose from,” says Lisa Faulkner.

“These maple butter crumpets and bacon were my absolute favourite, and so easy to recreate at home.”

Ingredients (serves 4)

8 slices of streaky bacon

4 crumpets

50g unsalted butter

4-5tbsp maple syrup, plus extra for drizzling

Method

1. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and cook the bacon until lovely and crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside, keeping the fat in the pan.

2. While the bacon is frying, toast the crumpets.

3. Add butter to pan with the bacon fat and let it start to melt. As the butter foams, add the maple syrup along with the crumpets, holey-sides down. Cook for about one minute, spooning the foaming butter and syrup over the crumpets, then flip the crumpets and repeat the process until they are deliciously soaked in the maple butter.

4. Place the crispy bacon on top of the crumpets and serve immediately, with some extra maple syrup, if you like.