AS TOLD TO
SARAH WARWICK
The British TV chef and author of bestselling The Little Paris Kitchen
shares her favourite things to do when she travels
Rachel Khoo
I still have my tiny kitchen
. When I go
to people’s houses, I get kitchen envy.
They have real ovens and hobs, and
even dishwashers. That’s luxury.
I definitely see myself as
a citizen of
the world. My background’s quite
mixed: Austrian mum, Malaysian dad.
The food at home was very Asian with
the odd schnitzel thrown in. Then, on a
Sunday, we always had to have a roast.
Although I travelled a lot as a kid,
in the last year and a half it’s gone
crazy. My first book’s been translated
into quite a few languages. Wherever
we go, I always ask if I can have half
a day so I can see the city.
When we were
in the Basque region, I
went to San Sebastian and had a
couple of hours at the beach. It was
nice to recharge the batteries.
Living in a country
has so many more
benefits than just visiting, if you have
that opportunity. It’s not so intense and
you get to do the day-to-day things.
I love going to the supermarket
in
different places. It gives you an insight
into how people live and you can get
some weird stuff. I was in Tallinn once
and found something with packaging
that looked really cool. Then somebody
told me, “You just bought a box of salt”.
Fine dining is great,
but in general,
I don’t like eating to be all stuffy.
Cheese is my absolutely favourite thing.
I’m like Wallace from
Wallace and
Gromit
, but with French cheese.
My worst trip was to Majorca.
The island’s beautiful, but there were
men on the flight wearing ‘Lock up your
daughters’ T-shirts and the flight was
delayed. Not easyJet, obviously.
Having lived with the smallest
kitchen,
I should be a good packer,
but I always overpack. I always think,
“What if?” I never think, “Well, actually,
I could just buy stuff if I need.”
My top travel tip?
I get plastic film
canisters, empty them out and put
wipes in there and that way I can have
just a few in my handbag.
My new book isn’t just about Paris,
but France as a whole. Every region has
its, “Oh, my goodness, I want to live
here” aspect. I don’t know which is my
favourite. I was in Alsace when the
Christmas markets were on and that
was so cosy, but the Basque is rugged
and Provence is stunning.
The food was mostly good,
but in one
Bordeaux restaurant I asked for the
house special and the first course was
profiteroles stuffed with gritty snails
and foie gras. It was awkward. I even
tried to feed them to the restaurant’s
dog and he wouldn’t eat them.
I spend my time now
going back and
forth between London and Paris. As for
the future, I’ll just see where it takes
me. I’m up for an adventure.
Rachel Khoo’s new book, My Little
French Kitchen, is out now, published
by Penguin, priced £20
P L A N E
T A L K I N G
☞
Turn the page for Rachel Khoo’s favourite French foodie destinations
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R E G U L A R S
