The MasterChef star reveals his secret healthy habit.
It’s been four years since Rick Stein underwent successful open-heart surgery that saved his life, and the chef confirms he’s feeling good – and remains positive about his health.
“I still feel very optimistic,” he tells Woman’s Day on a break from his hectic schedule, which includes running 11 restaurants across the UK and Australia as well as his many TV appearances.
But to ensure he remains in shape, the 75-year-old cookbook king has some tips.
“I guess one of the things that works for me is trying to swim every day, particularly in cold water,” says Rick.
“I try to eat healthy – lots of fish. But saying that… I am partial to a large bar of Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut!”
OLD FRIENDS & FOOD
The British-born chef is once again a guest judge on MasterChef Australia but he’s remaining diplomatically tight-lipped on who his favourites are on the current season.
But he doesn’t hold back on revealing what it is that keeps him returning.
“I love the friendly competitiveness of the contestants and the general excitement of the competition,” he admits.
“I also enjoy the efficiency of the crew, many of whom have been doing MasterChef for years. It’s like meeting old friends.”
Rick’s other TV project sees him adventuring across Oz for SBS show Rick Stein’s Australia, celebrating his adopted second home, which he first experienced aged 19 in 1967 after arriving by ship at Sydney’s Woolloomooloo as a backpacker.
“I do seem to spend an awful lot of time in Australia, my wife Sas and I have been here for six months this time,” he says.
“I love coming here but I feel I’m very privileged in that we can spend time both in the UK and Australia every year.”
It’s been a long and fulfilling journey for Rick, who started his career running a mobile disco in Cornwall.
When the nightclub closed down, the then 24-year-old realised how much he loved cooking and decided to open a restaurant.
Nowadays, Rick still loves the thrill of creating imaginative dishes. But when it comes to the future, he’d like to continue doing what he does for as long as he can.
“I don’t have particular ambitions for the future, but I just love making TV, running restaurants, writing books and lots of holidays with Sas.”
RICK’S GUIDE TO AUSSIE EATS
THE BEST FISH AND CHIPS – The Fish Shop, Burrill Lake, NSW
Given his love of seafood, picking the best fish and chip shop was no easy feat, but Burrill Lake’s The Fish Shop wins. “It’s right by the sea.
That always makes a difference to me with fish and chips. It’s also special because most of the fish comes from Ulladulla,” Rick shares.
THE BEST SYDNEY DATE NIGHT – Margaret, Double Bay
Date night with his Aussie wife Sas – the couple live between Padstow, UK, and Mollymook, NSW – calls for something special.
“I always go to the same places. I just love Margaret in Double Bay. I’ve known Neil Perry for years and he’s cooking fish so well now. I also like the Thai-style toothfish at Mr Wong.”
THE BEST GREEK FOOD – Jim’s Greek Tavern, Collingwood, Victoria
The service at Jim’s Greek Tavern reminded Rick of ’70s Greece – “gruff, but in the best way possible” – and Rick says the large flounder was “perfectly barbecued and the meze and Greek salad and afterwards the galaktoboureko were all we could have hoped for.”
A five-star rating!
THE BEST FIRST NATIONS FOOD – Midden, Sydney
Rick’s favourite native ingredient is finger lime, which he loves with the Italian raw fish dish crudo, but he cites Sydney’s Midden as one of his picks for enjoying cutting-edge First Nations gastronomy.
He’s learning how to squeeze and use lemon myrtle oil for dishes – we can’t wait to see it in his next cookbook!
THE BEST FARM SHOP – The Food Farm, Wyong Creek, NSW
“It’s not like a farm shop I’ve seen before,” Rick said when he clapped eyes on the produce at The Food Farm at Wyong Creek.
Hannah and Tim produce some of Australia’s best regeneratively farmed grass-fed, grass-finished beef, certified organic-fed pasture-raised chicken and eggs.
THE BEST OYSTERS – Broadwater Oysters, Pambula, NSW
Ordering oysters is one of the first things the seafood lover does when he touches down in Oz – and there’s nowhere better to get rock oysters than on the Sapphire Coast at Broadwater Oysters, where Sue and Greg and their family have been farming and winning awards for them for 26 years.
THE BEST BUSH FOOD – Bush River Kitchen, Spencer, NSW
“Eat from the bush” is the motto at the Hawkesbury’s Bush River Kitchen in Spencer, where foraging is on the menu.
Rick goes off-grid and helps cook a fire-roasted venison with owner John, who hosts intimate dinners for groups of six-20 people who want to get out of the city and go bush.
THE BEST PIES – Glenreagh Pies, Glenreagh, NSW
It’s won the best pie shop on the Coffs Coast for three years in a row, so it’s not surprising Glenreagh Pies was the perfect pit stop on Rick’s road trip.
Brooke Stephen, the baker, learned her craft at The Ritz and Claridge’s before Covid led her back to Coffs and opening her own bakery.