Ravinder Bhogal

Life changed for Ravinder Bhogal, a London girl of Indian origin, ever since Gordon Ramsay crowned her Britain’s New Fanny Cradock four years ago in a contest on his food show The F Word. Her debut book Cook in Boots went on to win the Gourmand World Cook Book Award for the UK’s Best First Cookbook and was named the first runner-up to the World’s Best First Cookbook at the Paris Cookbook Fair in 2010. Now she is having a ball, cooking Apple Jalebis, Tiramisu Ice Cream Cake, Salted Caramel Banoffee Eclairs and what not, for her show Ravinder’s Kitchen which airs daily on TLC. A t2 chat...

Gordon Ramsay is supposed to be this fiery personality from Hell’s Kitchen. What was your first impression of him?

When I first met him, I was completely charmed. There was no shouting, no cursing, no swearing. It was inspiring to watch him work. He could bring out the best in people.

Was that a relief?

Actually, I was so surprised to be on the show and it all happened so quickly that I wasn’t thinking. I hadn’t watched the show that much before I won it, so I had no expectations. A close friend knew I love to cook and had an intuition that if I entered I’d win. She called and told me about the show. There were 8,500 women at the auditions and I didn’t think I had a chance but somehow I won.

What about your cooking impressed him?

I was passionate about my cooking, my ingredients and my recipes. He also loved what I cooked. I did a chicken that I stuffed with a variety of mushrooms and herbs, which I served with courgette. And I did a hot chocolate souffle.

Tell us about your show...

Ravinder’s Kitchen is a gastronomic globetrot without having to leave the kitchen. I am cooking my favourite dishes from around the world, each one with my little twist — Pide, which is a Turkish pizza, Hyderabadi Mutton Masala, my take on Meen Moilee, Mutton Rendang, Pho, which is a Vietnamese noodle soup…. It’s a celebration of food.

What would you be cooking at home for yourself?

If I was stuck at home and had to cook something for myself, I would typically cook a delicious pasta — something simple like Pasta Aglio E Olio, with fresh olive oil, garlic, chilli, juice of lemon, parsley, Parmesan cheese.

You started with beauty and fashion journalism. How much concession would you make when cooking a high-calorie dish?

I think it’s all about eating in moderation. There are some dishes where you can’t worry about calories. If you are making a pudding, it will have cream, milk and sugar in it just as a salad would be healthy and delicious. You have to be intelligent enough to know when to put down your fork. If you want cake, have a slice. I don’t want to change a recipe to make it super healthy.

Who among the celebrity food personalities do you look up to?

There are so many talented people in the industry. There is Nigel Slater. I grew up reading his recipes and watching his TV show. (Slater has been voted Britain’s favourite celebrity chef in October 2013, beating off competition from Delia Smith, Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson, according to a poll to mark the 10th anniversary of food magazine Olive). There is my friend Karam Sethi, who runs Trishna and Gymkhana in London. He is an amazing young chef. Nigella (Lawson) is so talented. She looks gorgeous on TV and her recipes are simple and doable.

What is the biggest global food trend today?

Fresh food. People have become very conscious of where their food is coming from. Sourcing of the ingredients is vital.