What is in your kitchen?

I’ve got two teenage children, so lots of food. I like to bake so I’ve got Fairtrade cake ingredients such as sugar, flour, and spices. I also have storecupboard standards like baked beans, tuna, pasta and fresh fruits and veg in the fridge.

How would you sum up your food philosophy?

As a chocolate company, and in my personal consumption, we’re interested in getting good value food made under fair conditions. My philosophy: buy less, buy better, know where food is coming from and buy things that are tasty.

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

The amount and choice of fresh food has grown enormously. I think that things sold out of season, like strawberries, are very tasteless. While the downside is that we have a long winter that’s wet and cold, the upside is looking forward to foods coming into season.

What annoys you about food culture in Britain?

People buying loads of food, throwing it away and getting fat. This is a disappointing drive. The idea of masses of stuff being purchased or delivered whether they use it or not, and the drive to get the cost [of foods] down at any cost has been the biggest disappointment. Pressure to put prices down has affected the industry.

What is Britain’s best-kept food secret?

This might be controversial, but bangers, beans and mash. There’s nothing nicer on a winter's night than a good bangers and mash. I like [traditional] British food.

Do you prefer eating in or eating out?

I like both. I enjoy having people around and cooking for them. I enjoy our family meals when we sit down and eat together. And I do like eating out, too.

What is the next big (real) food trend?

More adventurous foods. This comes from people travelling and trying exotic products. I also think that people will start to make Fairtrade the norm and not the exception. It has started people on a journey of being more conscious of where food is coming from.

I also wonder if we’ll see a resurgence of the corner shop. The logical extension of people’s increased interest in their food's provenance will see a shift from supermarkets to smaller specialist shops.

I also think that people will continue to eat chocolate as a treat even if the economy stays on a downturn.

Read more: Sophi’s choice is simply Divine

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