He is a celebrity chef who learnt his trade in Michelin starred restaurants, but Phil Vickery still enjoys the culinary simplicity of canned food.
The TV personality, 58, who whips up dishes on This Morning and Ready, Steady Cook, revealed he relies on canned ingredients when cooking for wife Fern Britton, 61, at home.
Vickery also hit back at the ‘snobbery’ around canned food, insisting the ingredients can be just as ‘nutritious and flavourful’ as fresh produce.
This Morning chef Phil Vickery, pictured with Holly and Phil, Vickery hit back at the ‘snobbery’ around canned food, insisting the ingredients can be ‘nutritious and flavourful’
The chef, who was recently announced as the Loved Canned Food official ambassador for 2019, also offered up his list of the 20 canned foods everyone should have in the kitchen cupboard.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the versatile tinned tomato tops Vickery’s list of must haves.
‘They’re just so useful,’ he told Femail. ‘Tomatoes can be used in tonnes of recipes from pasta sauces, to salsas and soups.
‘Another of my favourites is lentils. They’re ideal for bulking meals out, or for swapping out in recipes that would traditionally contain meat and potatoes.
‘I make a killer moussaka with lentils, but then can also rustle up a quick side salad with canned beans, feta and balsamic dressing which literally takes five minutes.’
The celebrity chef explained canned food can be used as swaps to make your midweek recipes quicker and simpler – although it won’t always work.
Unsurprisingly, the versatile tinned tomatos tops Vickery’s list of must haves. Stock image
He continued: ‘There are times when fresh or frozen is preferable to canned, you just need to be mindful of these situations and take into account the task at hand.
‘For example, if you are cooking a big roast for the family, you’re probably not going to want to use canned meat.
‘However, you can make a few swaps when it comes to the veg. Take canned carrots for instance, you can warm these and serve them with a knob of butter, a sprinkle of thyme and garlic for a side that’ll go down a treat.’
Vickery revealed he relies on canned ingredients when cooking for wife Fern Britton, 61, at home. Pictured, the couple on the set of Culinary Genius inh 2017
Debunking the myth that canned foods means lack of quality, Phil said that ‘apart from the obvious’, there’s actually not that much difference.
‘Canned can be just as nutritious and flavourful as fresh produce,’ he added.
Explaining why he’s throwing his weight behind the canned food campaign, Phil said: ‘I was shocked when I read a survey which found that 38% of UK adults don’t think that canned food contributes towards your five a day, when of course it does.
‘There’s an important education piece to do here and this is why I’m campaigning for the power of canned food!’
Phil said that people are becoming ‘less pretentious’ about using canned food in their cooking after saying: ‘I think in the past, snobbery has also had a role to play in people choosing fresh over canned.’
He even said that a lot of his chef friends have used canned food in their kitchens ‘but haven’t openly admitted it until now.’
He added that he loves to see what canned food is on offer in delis and when he’s travelling abroad. ‘Canned sardines for example are an absolute winner,’ he said.
Phil added that another important difference with canned food is its shelf life. He said: ‘Canned food typically has a much longer shelf life than fresh, meaning it can save you money by reducing the amount of food that goes to waste.
‘It’s also more convenient to stock up on, you can’t really go wrong.’