Grab a seat and tuck in, as a guest of Hardeep Singh Kohli, the celebrated broadcaster, raconteur, writer and cook, as he combines comedy with inventive cuisine in a wonderfully funny, laid-back evening's entertainment.
Food is a great talking point as Hardeep will demonstrate when he brings his live cookery show to The Broadway Theatre Barking this weekend.
Having debuted at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival to sell-out audiences, Hardeep’s show, The Nearly Naked Chef, combines comedy with inventive cuisine. This extended two-course version showcases both his talent for telling a good story and ability to rustle up a tempting recipe.
Hardeep was runner-up on the first series of Celebrity Masterchef and was nominated for an Independent Book Award for his debut title, Indian Takeaway. He is contributing editor on the Spectator Magazine, writes about food in various magazines and a column in Scotland on Sunday called ‘hardeep is your love’.
He's managed to combine humour and food - two of people’s greatest loves. I wonder if Hardeep has ever thought of bringing football, another of our nation's greatest obsessions, into the mix?
"I love football. I've got a season ticket at Arsenal so I get to watch the beautiful game but I'd not get all that many Tottenham fans coming to my shows if it had footie in it.
"Food is universal - like it or not, we all have to eat. I love telling stories and bringing in that tradition of storytelling around food that I heard from when I was young."
Hardeep grew up in Glasgow in the 1970s and now lives in Dalston, east London.
"‘I was the child of an immigrant and had a great upbringing and childhood overall. There were rough times and good times but those things shape you; you find out who you are and what you’re about. My first memories of cooking are linked to smells of the kitchen. Given how good my mum, my dad and my gran were at cooking and we had no daughters in our family, I cooked for brothers and I loved it. It was nice to have something they liked me for."
So what does Hardeep most enjoy cooking and what dishes would he rather not bother with?
"I love meat," says Hardeep. "Either roasting or braising. It feels like steak and kidney pudding time of year to me. It's not just about the cooking; it's about the friends that come round to share it with you.
“I can’t make puddings as I don’t think in sweet terms. I’ve had to train to do them but I’d happily live for rest of life and never eat pudding again which really cheeses off my pastry chef.”
So what can audiences expect when Hardeep wheels his mobile kitchen onto the stage?
“I talk them through how to cook a curry my way and tell stories of me growing up with food and my experiences on Masterchef. Then I offer them a curry to taste. It’s different every night, but in areas where there's a big Indian community it adds something, some resonance and shared experience. I have to concentrate more on my ingredients as they’re not shy to shout out when I do things wrong.”
The Nearly Naked Chef with Hardeep is at The Broadway Theatre, Broadway, Barking. Details: 020 8507 5607
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