Les Dennis has a truly wonderful outlook on food. “Most people eat to live – but I live to eat," declares Les.

Les currently plays the role of Old Joe in the UK tour of the musical Waitress, and he not only loves eating food but also enjoys preparing and cooking it; he was the runner-up in the 2013 Celebrity MasterChef and later returned as a guest judge.

As he is getting older (he is 72 ), Les admits he is “starting to look after himself” as he wants to be around for as long as he can for his kids.

“Touring is a nightmare when it comes to meals and eating," says Les. “I am an early riser, so I have breakfast around 9.00am. I normally have fruit and yoghurt and maybe some nuts.”

As part of his healthy eating regime, he has cut out carbs, which includes his all-time favourite bread and butter. “I really miss that as I absolutely loved it."

Depending on whether it’s a one- or two-show day Les normally has his main meal around 4pm to 6pm.

“On tour there are not a lot of options; you either eat out or buy something to bring in, so on this tour I am going to experiment with Airbnb accommodation, as this means I can cook things for myself and prepare food to take into the theatre for my main meal, such as casseroles and high-protein meals.”

Les admits he used to love eating late suppers after the show. “But I don’t anymore, as they are not part of my healthy eating regime, and eating late is not really good for me. But I do enjoy going for a drink with the company after the show."

When Les is at home, he enjoys cooking for his kids. “Like most kids, they love burgers and pasta. I often do a spaghetti Milanese and always make my own sauces for the pasta, usually tomato-based, as I don’t like cheese and never have. I also cook and prepare a lot of comfort food at home, such as beef stew and Lancashire hotpot."

Les learned his love of cooking from his mother at an early age. “I was my mother’s commis chef in the kitchen."

“For Sunday lunch or for Sunday dinner, as we called it in Liverpool, I would help my mother in the kitchen whilst my father went out for a pint to the pub. We would listen on the radio in the kitchen to the old comics like Al Reid and programmes such as The Navy Lark.”

“I would peel the potatoes, prepare the vegetables with her, and watch her make her old-style Yorkshire pudding in a large baking tray— no one could ever make them like her."

In Celebrity MasterChef, I came second to winner Ade Edmondson. Les recalls one of his early attempts to make bread-and-butter pudding on the programme.

“The generator was not working, and Judge John Torode would not believe me. He just looked at it and threw it away."

However, Torode changed his tune when he saw Les’s next dessert. “It was a chocolate fondant dessert, and it met with his approval."

Les’s final dish was cod with a parsley and breadcrumb crust, served with lemon butter and mashed potato, and it gained Torode’s seal of approval. “He gave me a great boost by saying Les really knows what he is doing.”

A lover of Italian cuisine, he loves how they see food as an act celebration. “You see it in all the films and how it brings the family together."

But Les’s most memorable meal was one he had in Magaluf. “It was a beautiful paella accompanied by a glass of crisp dry white wine. I can always remember the aromas of it. The paella was crisp and had many types of seafood, making it unforgettable.

Les is sharing one of the dishes he did on Celebrity MasterChef – Venison En Croute

Ingredients:

For venison en croute:
500g all butter puff pastry or two blocks
500g loin of venison, well-trimmed
60g butter (salted or unsalted?)

For the egg wash:
2 to 3 egg yolks
fine salt

For the stuffing:
2 banana shallots, very finely chopped
30g dried wild mushrooms, soak in water
300g large button mushrooms, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 dessertspoon thyme leaves
30g fresh breadcrumbs
75g unsalted butter
3 tablespoons of the soaked dried mushroom water

Method:

For the stuffing:
First make the stuffing: soften the shallots and garlic in 30g of butter.
Squeeze all water reserve out of dried mushrooms and finely chop them; add to onions
Now add the rest of the butter, the chopped button mushrooms, and thyme; a little more butter if necessary, and then add the 3 tablespoons of reserved mushroom water.
Make sure all the liquid has been evaporated. Now add breadcrumbs and mix well.
Cool and season well.

For the venison en croute:
Sear the venison all over in hot oil and let it cool.
Roll the pastry out to fit the meat, like a parcel.
Place as much stuffing as required, leaving the edges free.
Put the venison on top of that, followed by the rest of the stuffing.
So as to avoid making a clumsy, pastry-heavy parcel, cut out and discard the four corners, then wrap it all up, folding the short ends over first and then the long sides.
Brush with egg wash.
Now take another long piece of pastry and cut the strips.
Place over the pastry and make sure it’s well tucked in.
Glaze the top.
Put into the oven for 20-25 minutes, reducing the heat to 170°C after 10 minutes. At this point, it is useful to have a probe for testing the meat. The temperature should be 50 to 55°C. It will, and should, be rare. Have a probe to test temperature.

Toss in goose fat and chopped rosemary and crushed garlic
Roast at 200 for 30 - 35 mins.


The UK tour of Waitress is at the following places in our area
Bradford 13-18 Aprtil
Sunderland 4-9 May
Blackpool 13-18 July
Hull 1-5 September
Sheffield 13-17 October