Britain's leading culinary figures on their ultimate comfort food: from Mary Berry to Marco Pierre White
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‘Good food,’ said Anthony Bourdain, ‘is very often, even most often, simple food.’ Bourdain understood more than most that when food is at its best it stirs our deepest memories – and needn't be a complicated affair.
For me, there are few foods as simple and comforting as mashed potato. It may not be glamorous, yet it is the soul-soothing food of autumnal Sunday lunches and is tied up in childhood memories, from family suppers to school dinners. It can sit beside – and hold its own next to – fillet steak or a supermarket sausage. It is deliciously democratic in a way that few foods are.
My most memorable bowl of mashed potato was experienced at Hôtel du Couvent on a candlelit evening in Nice, where it was served alongside crisp roast chicken. Conversation-stoppingly good, and rich with butter, it was luxurious and deeply satisfying. Then again, perhaps my all-time favourite mashed potato is the one that sits on top of my mum's shepherd's pie, bubbling at the edges with molten cheddar and seeping with Worcestershire sauce. It is a permanent fixture in my memory and inseparable from my childhood.
That is the peculiar power of comfort food. It is wrapped up in nostalgia and entwined with the people we love. It can transport us to our childhood kitchen or a favourite rainy afternoon, can bring a lost loved one back, or evoke a special holiday or some of the happiest times of our lives.
So, in search of the dishes that have the same effect on others that mashed potato has on me, we asked some of Britain's leading culinary figures to tell us about the comfort food they return to again and again – and why.
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Issy Croker1/26Paul Ainsworth, chef @paulainsw6rth
Granny Ainsworth's chip butty. My gran was my superhero, and as a child I would stay with her most weekends. Every Saturday night, she’d have a pan of oil warming on the hob while she cut potatoes into chips with a little wooden-handled paring knife. She always cut them in her hand rather than on a chopping board.
Then she’d take a farmhouse loaf, cut two thick slices and slather them with butter. The hot chips would come out of the pan and rest on kitchen paper before being sprinkled with salt and piled into the sandwich with ketchup. The heat from the chips would melt the butter, which would mingle with the sauce, often escaping from the soft white bread so the whole lot dripped down my chin as I watched The A-Team and Knight Rider.
Ola O Smit2/26Emily English, nutritionist and author @emthenutritionist
Lasagne, without question. I have such a deep love for it because it was always the big family meal, growing up. My mum used to make this absolutely enormous lasagne for birthdays, it must have weighed about 20kg, with layers of sauce, pasta and about four different cheeses.
It was never seasonal, either. Rain, shine, middle of winter or somehow 25 degrees outside, there would be this huge bubbling lasagne in the middle of the table, with garlic bread and a big salad alongside it. Everyone would sit around together, help themselves, go back for seconds and inevitably fight over the crispy corner pieces because they were always the best bit. The leftovers the next day were almost as important. There is something about reheated lasagne that might actually be even better.
I think lasagne is one of those rare foods that works for absolutely every occasion. It can be the cosiest Sunday dinner when the weather is awful, but I’d also happily eat it al fresco in summer with a glass of wine. Big group or small group. I don't think I've ever met someone who doesn't like lasagne, and nor would I want to.
Sophie Davidson3/26Ben Lippett, chef and author @dinnerbyben
Steamed syrup pudding and custard is an instant memory unlock and comfort-bomb for me and my two sisters. Our grandma used to make it for us after school – a Wednesday or Thursday night treat, strictly enjoyed at a little dining table in her powder-blue kitchen. It's a humble thing – a sticky, fluffy sponge laced with golden syrup from the tin, cooked in the microwave; the ‘ping’ a happy signal that the steaming pud was about to land on the table. It was fondly nicknamed ‘splodge pudding’, and was served always with hot Bird's custard. Nothing fancy – just pure, unadulterated comfort food.
Pal Hansen4/26Jay Rayner, journalist and food critic @jayraner1
The need for comfort comes at you quickly. In such cases, it’s as simple as cheese on toast. You can absolutely tailor it to your own taste – you could cover it in piggy stuff or hoisin sauce, it's your own choice. It can be quite Baroque.
For me, the other is roast chicken. There is nothing to beat it, but there were no good roast chickens in my childhood – my mum was too busy. However, I became obsessive about the best way to cook it, which drew me to a recipe from Simon Hopkinson, which uses an unconscionable amount of butter, a squirt of lemon and is surrounded by slices of day-old baguette. The roast chicken crouton has become very important in my house.
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Elspeth Vincent5/26Hannah Crosbie, writer @hannahcrosb
All good comfort foods are the ones that make you regress mentally, slightly, so with this in mind the only thing I can think of a cheese toastie and cream of tomato soup, which I made the other day as soon as the temperature dipped. The soup can be from a tin, the bread can be from a plastic bag, the cheese does not have to obviously have come from a cow. Together… bliss.
Nicky Johnston6/26Mary Berry, food writer and television presenter @damemarryberry
There is nothing more warming than a hearty soup. I always make sure that the bowl is hot and the soup is steaming. One of my favourites is smoked haddock chowder. Bursting with flavour, it's great on a chilly winter's day with crusty bread.
Cristian Barnett7/26Tom Kerridge, chef @cheftomkerridge
I love slow cooked shoulder of lamb, gently roasted over the top of some sliced potatoes and onions, cooked for 4 or 5 hours at 140 / 150 degrees. It's easy to prep: I put it in the oven early on a Sunday morning and disappear out for household chores or taking my son to the rugby. Come back and the house smells delicious and all the work has been done for you! The smell of the food as you head through the door is incredibly homely and instantly appetising. It is a classic French-style piece of cookery and is rooted in nostalgic memories of being a commis chef, learning my trade.
Kasia Bobula8/26Jeremy King, restaurateur @jeremybking
When a dish becomes the mainstay of your restaurant life, one inevitably turns to it for comfort. For me that is the role of the salmon fishcake that we first created for Le Caprice in 1982, and that has remained a constant throughout the manifestations of that restaurant, to its new guise of Arlington today.
Even my mother was devoted to – and relied upon – it between its introduction in the early 1980s until 2000. It was the only dish she would ever eat. So it is shrouded in nostalgia for me, too. I actually believe what we serve now is an improvement on its original guise, and will remain forever close to my heart and emotions.
@eyeofthetyne9/26Karhan Tepedelen, chef, TEPÉ @caviarkarhan
When I’ve had a bad day or the day in general is gloomy, I like to cook something that makes me feel good about cooking again. For me, that would probably be a beef Wellington. There’s something wonderfully English about taking a beautiful piece of meat, wrapping it in pastry and making a real occasion of it. It’s not necessarily about complicated cooking – it’s about care, generosity and turning a difficult day into something exciting. You put the time into it, you get the pastry right, you make a proper filling, and when it comes out of the oven, golden and beautiful, it lifts you.
But if I’m looking for something even simpler, food that’s comforting rather than an occasion, then I’d go straight for a jambon-beurre. A proper French baguette, beautiful ham, a good classic cornichon Dijon mustard and far more butter than is probably sensible. That’s the sort of food I could happily eat sitting at the kitchen table, without a thought in the world.
I think that’s what good comfort food is about. It doesn’t have to be clever. Sometimes it just has to be bloody delicious.
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Marco Pierre White, chef and restaurateur @Marcopierrewhit
I like food that you can eat with your hands, food that is simple and beautiful. Therefore, my comfort food is chicken. Often, the more that you do to food, the more you take away from it.
11/26Rahel Stephanie, chef and writer @eatwithsp00ns
Indomie will always be my ultimate comfort dish. I used to obsess over Indomie instant noodles from a very young age (and still do), so much so that my mom had to ration them to once a week. I’d have them for breakfast while watching a TV show, eating it as slowly as I could to savour every last second, before having to wait for a whole other week. This must have started from when I was four years old and went on for the rest of my childhood. We’d always have a whole kitchen cabinet dedicated to packs and packs of Indomie. These days I love zhuzhing them up with anything from extra chillies or dried anchovies to Japanese curry paste – the possibilities are endless.
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Dan Hall12/26Kit Paterson, chef @kitpaterson
My ultimate comfort dish is a roasted butternut squash soup, an original from Mum. I started loving this recipe as a teenager. For me, it probably bridged the gap from childhood to adulthood, in terms of starting to enjoy more funky (at the time) ingredients. Packed full of tomato and chilli, it's an incredibly familiar mouthful – but with that something extra. With an autumnal colour, it's an incredibly nostalgic recipe for me, hence why I sprint to make it when the weather is doing its worst.
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Charlotte Forsyth13/26Charlotte Forsyth, co-founder Hands London @charforsyth
Pasta pomodoro. I have always been obsessed with pasta; from my mum’s spaghetti bolognese when I was younger to making penne with as many vegetables as I could at university. When I met my husband, who is a wonderful cook, we started creating routines around food. If we’re in on a Friday, he will always make us a tomato sauce cooked for several hours with orecchiette, lots of basil and pecorino. It signals a cosy night in, just the two of us. I can look forward to eating it from a few days before, particularly on a tough or long week, knowing that once I’m on that sofa snuggled up and eating that pasta, everything is going to be ok.
14/26Martin Kuczmarski, ounder of The Dover, Dover Street Counter, and Martino's @martinkiczmarski
My comfort food dish is Beef Arrosto with mashed potatoes, served at The Dover, in Mayfair. It’s thinly sliced, roast beef served with very rich, buttery mash and red wine jus. The way I describe this dish to anyone is ‘if English Sunday roast made love to Italian beef carpaccio'. It is comforting, nourishing, but still light and not too heavy.
Rebecca Dickson | @rebeccadickson_photography15/26Emily Roux, chef @emily_roux_london
Carbs, in general. But more specifically, pasta! Especially alla Gricia. There’s something about a bowl of pasta when the weather is awful and you’ve decided you’re not leaving the house that just feels like the ultimate comfort. It’s simple, salty, rich and indulgent. Gricia could be eaten on repeat in my household, and is the perfect mix between carbonara and cacio e pepe: pasta, pecorino, guanciale and pepper. I discovered it thanks to my mother-in-law, who wanted something ‘a little lighter than carbonara’. Honestly, both are quite substantial!
Jimi Herrtage16/26Willy Hughes, social media chef @whatwillycook
My ultimate comfort dish will probably always be a spag bol with homemade herby garlic bread. You can't beat it. I like it with loads of grated cheddar, which is probably alarmingly offensive to any purists but that will always be the go to comfort bowl.
Katy Snee17/26Jago Rackham, chef @ecstasy_cookbook
Chicken soup, with lots of dill. I'd like to say it was passed down to me by my grandmother, or even my mother, but it's something I started making when I left home, from a recipe book, but is now made peculiar to me through revision and familiarity. It reminds me of huddling in mine and Lowena's very cold first flat when we were 19, and richly perfumes whichever house its made in like a blanket.
Phil Dunlop18/26Ben Slater, recipe developer and food stylist @slaterchef
When autumn comes around, I tend to gravitate towards brassicas. Cabbages, sprouts and broccoli all respond to the first frost in the most magical way, by diverting delicious sugars towards their leaves and extremities to protect them. A bit like antifreeze stops water from…freezing. I take Sunday's roast potatoes, fry them in a little dripping, turning them occasionally to create layers of texture. They get tossed in a vivid green pesto-like sauce made with cavolo nero, sprout tops and walnuts. It makes the perfect nest for a crispy fried egg.
Rebecca Dickson19/26Max Venning, founder of Three Sheets @threesheetsbars
I will always lean toward an Irish coffee when I need something warm and comforting. It has just enough booze to warm your cockles – the heat and caffeine from the coffee lift your mood and then you are finished with the indulgence of the cream to really give that feeling of comfort.
When we make these in the bar, we fat-wash the whisky by melting 100g of butter and browning it slightly, then pouring it into 200ml of Irish whisky, freezing it overnight and straining the flavoured whisky through a sieve.
20/26Tommy Banks, chef @tommybanks
My ultimate comfort food is oxtail with suet dumplings. It’s something my wife and I both absolutely love, especially on a cold, miserable day. You whack the oxtail in the oven in the morning and let it cook low and slow all day, then pick all that lovely meat from between the bones and steam some little suet dumplings to go with it.
Peter Eden-Moran21/26Pierce Quinn, waiter and content creator @piersquinn_
The holy trinity of ale, a hot sausage roll and Colman’s mustard. That said, some ground rules must be set. Firstly, it is to be consumed in a pub. Secondly, never within the M25. This helps motivate me to visit my family. I particularly enjoy this combination in the company of my mother and dog, shortly before getting the return train home to London. Whilst I am sure there are things to say regarding fats, salts and what-not flavours, the main cause of my love here is that it is quintessentially English. When in Rome.
Sofie Thompson22/26Sofie Thompson, co-founder, Hands London @sofiethompson
Chicken pie, served with buttery mashed potato and lashings of gravy. As soon as the dark evenings roll in, it’s the dish I always turn to. As a Northerner, the food that I crave is often very British and very hearty, which doesn’t bode well in the hot and humid London summers. Autumn is my favourite season because it means I have an excuse to eat the nostalgic food of my childhood: sausage and mash, cottage pie and roast dinner. There’s something about the warmth and simplicity of those dishes that leaves you feeling full and nourished. It’s pure delight, pure comfort.
Jess Ellis23/26Kostas Papathanasiou, chef @litamarylebone
A crisp sandwich. It has to be salt and vinegar or cheese and onion, and of course with butter or mayo. I discovered them after moving to the UK and they’ve become one of those things I genuinely love. There is something about the combination of soft bread, butter and crunchy, sharp crisps that just work. It’s simple, somehow nostalgic and completely uncomplicated.
Brown’s Hotel24/26Matt Abé, chef @chef.mattabe
My ultimate comfort food is a proper cheese toastie. Thickly sliced sourdough, extra-mature cheddar and a few slices of pickled walnut. Butter both sides generously, season with salt and pepper, then fry it until the bread is golden and crisp and the cheese is completely molten in the middle. It’s a warm, cheesy, decadent hug – and is ideal with a bowl of cream of tomato or pumpkin soup. It’s what I always gravitate towards when I want something properly comforting and has been since I was young, so there’s a bit of nostalgia there, too.
Tess Lister25/26Dan Martensen, photographer and founder, It's Bagels @danmartensen / @its_bagels
When I was a kid, we'd go for Chinese food to celebrate birthdays. It was like a ceremony, a banquet just for our family. White table cloth and porcelain tea cups. Plates heaped with egg rolls, General Tso's chicken, and moo shu pork. Chinese food is still comforting for me and I hope it will be for my kids, too. I like it spicier now than I did growing up. Really spicy Szechuan greens, xiao long bao and a Tsingtao. I still love me some moo shu pork, though!
Helen Cathcart26/26Conor Gadd, chef @brullo_restaurant @trullo_restaurant
The absolute ultimate comfort food for me is pasta in chicken stock with tuscan olive oil and parmesan. Put a whole chicken with vegetables in the pressure cooker, leave for work then come back and you have the most wonderful, aromatic stock. Strain everything off, reserving the chicken for coronation sandwiches during the week, and bring stock to the boil. Drop in your pasta, season and finish with olive oil and parmesan. Comforting for so many reasons, not least because my children love it, so the comfort of not having to worry about their tea is worth its weight in gold!
