How often do you travel?

I go on holiday abroad two or three times a year, then through work I’m away another couple of times.

What do you need for a perfect holiday?

I need my beautiful wife and a couple of books. I also need good plumbing. There’s nothing worse than freezing cold showers with a bar of soap barely big enough to cover an ant’s private parts.

Your earliest memory of travelling abroad?

Going to Spain when I was about five or six with my mum, aunt and grandmother. The men never went. My dad was ridiculously old-fashioned, probably scared of flying, and wouldn’t have wanted anything that was foreign.

Most adventurous travel experience?

I once left my wife and child in a hotel in Mexico to fly to Guatemala in this tiny plane for two days to see the rainforests. Guatemala had just finished a civil war and my hotel door had five or six bolts on it; I was locking myself into a safe vault.

Cascades National Park in Guatemala Credit: AP

The most remote place you’ve been?

Filming for MasterChef with the Royal Marine Commandos in the Arctic was the only time I’ve felt like planet Earth was trying to kill me. It was so cold the hairs inside my nose froze.

Best country for delicious food?

Italy. It’s the only country I know where whole families get dressed up to go and buy ice cream.

Favourite restaurant?

I’m very close to Michel Roux Jr, so my favourite restaurant in the world is Le Gavroche in Mayfair.

Most memorable meal abroad?

I took my wife to Portofino to a place called Restaurante Puny. I had pieces of toast with unsalted butter and salted anchovies and a big glass of cold white wine. As I looked out at the water on the Ligurian coast and gazed at the food, I thought, “You guys have done nothing here, but it’s still absolutely delicious.”

Portofino

Worst meal you’ve had on your travels?

A Greek tavern owner once served me his local delicacy of complete sheep’s head. The face meat was nice, the tongue less so, but I couldn’t deal with the eyeballs.

Most romantic destination?

Lake Como in Italy.

Best family holiday?

Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, then the Florida Keys, where we munched our way through 15 kilos of burgers on a daily basis.

Walt Disney World in Florida Credit: 2016 MCT/Orlando Sentinel

Most relaxing spot?

I stayed in some Bedouin tents in the desert outside Dubai, and to be somewhere where you can’t hear anything or see anything but sand was just the most relaxing, chilled experience.

Do you safari?

I went to the Kruger but was not impressed; I’m a south-east Londoner; I’m nervous if I run out of concrete.

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Best holiday ever?

My honeymoon with Anna to Como. It was her first time and we stayed in Bellagio, had long boozy lunches by the edge of the lake before retiring to our beautiful luxury hotel.

Favourite hotel?

The Rosewood in Holborn. After we’d had dinner they left us champagne and scattered rose petals across the bed and the bath.

Favourite city?

San Sebastián. They are Basques, so they have pintxos, not tapas, and you’ve never seen an array of food like it in your life.

Favourite bar or pub?

The Waterside Inn bar in Bray. The barman, Valentino, mixes drinks to create desserts – rhubarb crumble and rum and raisin ice cream cocktail, anyone?

Best city for nightlife?

I’m normally up at five in the morning, so all the nightlife I want is dinner, but Las Vegas is great. It’s served by some of the best restaurants in the world; you have to put up with the slot machines and people in tracksuits, but it’s worth it.

Worst travel experience?

I took the kids for an early summer break to a big Tunisian resort and it just wasn’t warm enough to sunbathe or swim and there was no entertainment, so it was a horrendously, boring, cold, badly served holiday.

Best/worst airline?

I’m a big fan of BA. Emirates is exceptional and Oman Air is very good, too. I can’t stand the budget airlines. I’d rather pay more and have better service.

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Best piece of travlling advice?

Keep your expectations low and don’t judge on first sight because you’re often tired.

Best health tip for travelling?

Change into a clean T-shirt, shorts and sandals before landing – you’ll feel cleaner and fresher on arrival.

What is your one travel essential?

Colman’s English Mustard. I like it with my steak and my breakfast, and nobody has it abroad. An English gentleman really must have his mustard.

What do you hate about holidays?

I hate people taking photos of my wife and me at the baggage carousel. If you want a selfie, come and ask.

Where next?

Belmond Reid’s Palace in Madeira.

Belmond Reid's Palace Funchal, Madeira, Portugal 9 Telegraph expert rating For over a century, Reid’s Palace has welcomed guests to its luxurious haven on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Traditional interiors celebrating the hotel’s British heritage look onto lush subtropical gardens of honeysuckle and jade vine, the swimming pools, and the sea beyond. Read expert review From £ 267 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com

Cooks and Kids 3, edited by Gregg Wallace and Andrew Isaac from the National Fostering Agency, is available in hardback, £20 (Graffeg Kids). All royalties go to the children’s charity Place2Be.

Interview by Nick McGrath