Chef and restaurateur Allegra McEvedy, 36, has worked at places as diverse as the River Café and Robert de Niro's Tribeca Grill in New York. She is co-founder of the healthy fast food restaurant chain, Leon. She lives in Shepherd's Bush, London.

What's in your kitchen?

Too much! It's a bit of a roadblock in there and it has been for years. I tend to get most of my fruit and veg from the supplier for the restaurant because I do a lot of the recipe-testing and food development at home. Even though we end up serving these dishes to 13,000 people a week they all start round my kitchen table with some ideas, a chopping board and a set of scales.

The dry stuff tends to come from speciality shops. I've got a bit of an obsession with them. I also can't help but bring loads of stuff back whenever I go on holiday, so I have lots of packets of strange things that come from Moroccan markets and places like Cuba.

How would you sum up your food philosophy?

I have worked at River Café, Groucho and other posh, "fine dining" restaurants where you pay £35 for a main course. But years ago I realised I want to make the best food for the most people. That's something that was in my head long before Leon. For me, it's about teaching people that it is possible to eat good food even if you don't have a lot of money, but without being too much of an "educator".

I always think the best food comes out of when you're having a good time in the kitchen. I started a restaurant in a community centre and we made a two-course lunch every day for £5. I was just singing my little heart out in that kitchen and giving them two courses. Even if it's a soup and salad - that's a nice lunch!

How has British food and our attitude to it changed in your lifetime?

We've got great raw materials in Britain. We've got the meat, we've got the fish. What we're missing out on is that ingrained market culture. We obviously used to have it and it disappeared which makes me a bit sad. Many other countries have wonderful markets - I can think of a beautiful one in the Philippines and one in Sicily.

We are getting our market culture back through the farmer's markets but they are niche. We still need to reclaim a bit back from the supermarkets. I feel vaguely resentful that they are called "markets" because they are nothing like real markets. Also, we have got an amazing tool in the internet - let's use it for the benefit of the people, not just Ocado.

What annoys you about the food culture in Britain?

My crossness is to do with government legislation and the the way ingredients are portrayed. We are still using ingredients that shouldn't be out there. America has banned trans-fats. Why haven't we? Our government has got a responsibility to people of all incomes, especially those with less awareness of the issues. We should be using natural colourings and banning food additives and there should be more legislation on these points.

Who or what is Britain's best-kept food secret?

I don't know if it qualifies as a secret as such, but I think the internet is such a joy as a place to shop. It is also a massive step forward for small suppliers and producers. You can go to speciality shops without having to drive all the way out there, or stumble across them at the end of a lane. I'm bonkers about piccalilli and I get mine from a lady in Wales (Wendy Brandon, www.wendybrandon.co.uk). You can do the same with cheeses or, say, honey from Dartmoor or edible gold leaf, quinoa, special kinds of rice. The organic ice cream we use in the Leon restaurants is also available online (September Organic, www.september-organic.co.uk). It's a small family business that produces enough to supply us and a few others. But the best thing about shopping online is that a parcel arrives the next day. It's like Christmas!

Do you prefer eating in or eating out?

I love eating in because it is the most intimate space - you don't have to wait around for someone to pour you a glass of wine, you can pour it yourself! It is just so much more relaxing. But I do quite a lot of cooking in my every day life and occasionally it is very nice to go out. I particularly like to go to quite exotic places where I think I might learn something. There are a couple of great Iranian places and a Syrian place near to where I live in London.

What is the next big (real) food trend?

You must know what I'm going to say! Healthy fast food! People have got more awareness about what they are eating and less time on their hands so it provides a real option. The only other way you're going to get a healthy lunch is to spend a few bucks or make your lunch at home.

The latest addition to the Leon chain opened recently at 73-74 The Strand. Allegra is also the author of a recipe book themed by colour and season, Allegra's Colour Cookbook (Kyle Cathie, £19.99)

More Real Food Pioneers

Times Recommends

• Thomasina Miers’s cabbage and bitter leaves on garlic toast
• Food that's good for body and soul
• Carrot, date and goat's cheese salad