Andi Oliver: ‘I’m not spending £50 on bloody smelly candles!’

Andi Oliver, who first came to attention fronting Rip Rig + Panic with Neneh Cherry and later worked in television through the 1990s, is a familiar face on food shows and radio. She spent years as a Great British Menu judge and now hosts the show in its sixth season; she also acts, has run restaurants, made documentaries with her daughter Miquita, and published The Pepperpot Diaries in 2023.

Her yearly treat is a long holiday to Sri Lanka each January to recharge. She lives in Wanstead and shops locally at the butcher, fishmonger and greengrocer, while using Ocado for deliveries. Clothes come from the likes of Karen Millen and the African designer Öfuurë, and everyday underwear is from M&S.

Fortnum & Mason remains a favourite for small luxuries. In the kitchen she relies on a Ninja food processor to make jars of green seasoning for the freezer, buys really good fish from the market and keeps a steady supply of Ombar blond caramelised white chocolate.

Sri Lanka, Wanstead

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