When Marco Pierre White hung up his chef’s trousers in the late 1990s, it looked as if he might have ducked out of the limelight for good. But last year, he reemerged in an explosion of publicity – fronting Hell’s Kitchen, promoting Knorr stock cubes and lending his name to a range of Russell Hobbs kitchen gadgets. All this from the man who once declared that he would never be a celebrity chef. Despite mutterings of “sellout” in some quarters, White claims he is simply doing his bit to bring good grub to the people. “Everyday food should be good food,” says the shock-headed culinary genius, who started out life on a Leeds council estate. “I get more pleasure now thinking about feeding people from all walks of life. I believe good food should be for everyone, not just for those who are willing to pay a £100 a head.”

Given such democratic aspirations, his latest endorsement makes perfect sense. Glorious! is a range of fresh soups that cost £1.99 a pot. While White didn’t come up with the recipes, he clearly thinks they’re worthy of the MPW name. “I tasted them and my family tasted them,” he says. “If they were good enough for us, then they were good enough for the public.”

And how good is that? Well, you wouldn’t be ashamed to serve any of them as your own. The spicy cuban beef and tomato and the chicken, courgette and orzo pasta both have subtle nuances of flavour, while the tomato and balsamic is comfortingly rich without being overly sweet. For once, this is a commercial soup that tastes properly homemade – which is more than can be said for some fresh soup brands. It is currently only available at Morrisons – not exactly the poshest of stores.

Long live Marco, man of the people.

GARLIC KISS

A new survey shows 88% of people no longer find garlic breath a turn-off. The jury is still out on beer and pork scratchings

PORSCHE SPICE

It’s a sign of the times that blokes want their kitchens to be as flash as their motors – so it’s fitting that Porsche Design has teamed up with Poggenpohl to deliver the best of both worlds. Designed for the boy racer who would rather fry it off in a sauté pan than burn it up on the M1, the Porsche P’7340 comes with an aluminium chassis, fingertip-controlled doors, high-spec finishes and the sort of on-board entertainment system car thieves can only dream of. And how much Porsche does £20,000 normally get you?

www.poggenpohl.de

TAKE 3

Fred Smith, chef at London gastropub The Duke of Wellington, suggests this manly starter of duck rillettes.

Serves 8

— 1 whole duck
— 3 cloves
— Salt

Remove the meat from the breasts and legs of the duck and cut it into 2.5cm cubes. Chop the carcass into two or three pieces and place in the bottom of a deep pan with the leg bones and cloves. Weigh the meat and mix with 5 tsp salt per kg, then place on top of the bones. Cover with water, bring to the boil and cook for 3-4 hours until the water has evaporated, leaving the fat. Remove the bones, then strain and keep the fat. While it’s still warm, shred the meat in a bowl, then add two-thirds of the fat and mix to give a creamy texture. Season to taste. Spoon into ramekins, cover with the remaining fat and chill. Serve with toast.

The Duke of Wellington, 94a Crawford Street, W1; 020 7224 9435

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