As a typical northern bloke, I’m not one to spend a lot of money on food. I recoil in horror at the thought of paying hundreds of pounds for a few bits of meat and veg, so I’ve never done it. It always bemuses me that the more you pay for food, the less you get of it. I’m a plain, simple eater. Give me a good burger, a chicken steak, cod and chips, or a pasta dish. Even rice is exotic to me. The most extravagant food I eat is a curry, or Chinese chicken in black bean sauce. It all comes from my upbringing. My Mam would not eat anything ‘foreign’. To be fair to her, her generation suffered rationing after the war, and the only food she got was simple English grub, which was what she brought us up on. I don’t mind doing a bit of cooking, but it isn’t like the stuff you see on the telly. It’s just simple, home-made grub: bread, casseroles, stews, risottos or pasta dishes. I can’t bear the pretentious nature of some these foodie types, it just takes it too far. Give me good quality, simple northern food any day and I’m a happy man.