Hugh sees food in a new light

A lover of home-grown veg, who has always "eaten salads and fruit", the 49-year-old admits that his GP's diagnosis took him by surprise.

"I thought I was basically very healthy," explains Fearnley-Whittingstall, who lives in Devon with his wife Marie and their four children.

"I felt more or less pretty good most of the time, but then I stopped and thought, 'Well actually, you do slap the butter on a bit too much on your morning toast, and if the cheese is out at the end of a meal and you've got a glass of wine on the go, you do go back there for a bit more'."

Although both toast and cheese are admittedly "pleasant", the TV chef and food writer has been conscientiously shifting towards recipes that don't rely on wheat and dairy, writing up his findings in his new book, River Cottage Light & Easy.

Emphasising foods that are "perhaps a little bit better for you", Fearnley-Whittingstall, who went vegetarian while he wrote his landmark River Cottage Veg book, is a convert to his own method.

Best of all, his cholesterol is now in the normal range. And despite being a self-confessed "toast muncher", he has enjoyed finding new ways of cooking.

These days, he eats dairy and wheat, but doesn't rely on them as "go to" ingredients. Though he does make some exceptions...

"When my wife has made a fantastic sourdough loaf, or I go round to some friends and they've baked a lovely cake, that's when I'm going to go, 'Of course I'm going to have some of that'," says the foodie, known for his campaigning Channel 4 food programmes Hugh's Fish Fight and Hugh's Chicken Run.

At home, both he and his wife share the dinner duties, but when Marie's at the cooking coalface, Fearnley-Whittingstall knows to make himself scarce.

"If my wife's cooking, it's probably best to let her get on with it, because I do have a terrible tendency to butt in and interfere," he admits, grinning.

"Even if I'm looking at her while she's cooking, she can find that a bit annoying, so I'll go and do some gardening."

The family are often treated to home-cooked meals cooked by the eldest children too, something which clearly fills the chef with pride.

"I've got much better at making a bit of room, not just for my wife but for my elder kids Chloe, who's 18, and Oscar, who's 15," explains the food writer.

"They're both keen cooks and are more than capable of putting together a family meal. So sometimes we can both take an evening off, relax in the garden and take the dog for a walk, and come back and find a pretty delicious supper on the table."

The only downfall is that the children sometimes "suggest we do the clearing up" afterwards, he adds, laughing. But donning the marigolds is a small price to pay for getting his kids interested in cooking.

"I do think that all kids have a natural curiosity about food and a natural inclination to get involved in the kitchen," he says.

He concedes that involving the kids isn't "easy for everyone", especially with time and space constraints, but adds: "If you nurture that curiosity and give a little bit of independence in the kitchen, you do them the most fantastic life service."

Freddy, 11, and four-year-old Louisa are too young to be whipping up meals like their older siblings, but Fearnley-Whittingstall, who also cooked from a young age, is keen that "whatever trials and tribulations lie ahead", all his children leave home knowing how to cook for themselves.

"It's not just about your health," he says. "It's about your wellbeing and sense of self respect. I think that counts for a huge amount... It's [that sense of] 'I can cook for myself, I can look after myself'."

Fancy following suit? Here are three new Fearnley-Whittingstall recipes to try at home.

:: CREAMY ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

(Serves 4)

1.2kg tomatoes (the riper the better)

4-5 garlic cloves, chopped

3tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil

75g cashew nuts, plus a few extra, to finish (optional)

200ml light vegetable stock or water

A pinch of sugar (optional)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To finish:

Extra virgin hempseed or rapeseed oil

A dusting of paprika (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

Cut the tomatoes in half and put them in a large roasting tray (they should fit fairly snugly). Scatter over the chopped garlic, trickle over the oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, then scatter the cashews over the tomatoes. Return to the oven for a further 20 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and pulpy and perhaps a little charred in places.

Scrape the tomatoes, cashews and all the garlicky pan juices into a blender. Add the stock or water and blitz to a puree. Pass this through a sieve, which will remove any pips, or stubborn bits of tomato skin.

When you're ready to serve, reheat gently. You can add a little water if the soup seems very thick or the flavour is too intense. Season with more salt and pepper if needed, and add a pinch of sugar if you think the tomatoey acidity needs tempering slightly.

Ladle into warmed bowls and finish with a swirl of extra virgin oil, plus a few chopped cashews and a dusting of paprika if you like, and a generous sprinkling of pepper.

:: CHICKEN WITH LENTILS AND ROSEMARY

(Serves 4)

2tbsp rapeseed or olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

4 garlic cloves, chopped

Leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary

200g red lentils, well rinsed

500ml chicken or veg stock

8 skin-on, bone-in, free-range chicken thighs, or 1 medium chicken (about 1.75kg), jointed into 6-8 pieces

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to finish

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Choose a flameproof casserole dish or a wide, ovenproof pan that will hold all the chicken pieces snugly but comfortably.

Put the casserole on a medium-low heat. Add the oil, then the onion and cook, stirring regularly, for six to eight minutes until it begins to soften. Add the garlic, rosemary and some salt and pepper. Cook gently for a further five minutes, then stir in the lentils and stock.

Season the chicken thighs and place skin side up in the casserole. You want most of the chicken skin to remain exposed above the liquid in the dish so it can brown in the oven. Bring to a simmer on the hob, then transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, for one hour. Check that the chicken is cooked right through and the lentils are soft. If not, return to the oven for 10-15 minutes and test again. Skim off any excess fat from the surface.

Taste the lentilly liquor and add more salt or pepper if needed. Serve, scattered with chopped parsley, just as it is or with steamed broccoli or spring greens on the side.

:: ULTRA CHOC BROWNIES

(Makes 12)

200g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)

100g coconut oil (raw or odourless)

100g ground almonds

75g brown or white rice flour

A pinch of salt

1tsp baking powder

2 large eggs

150g soft light brown sugar

1tsp vanilla extract (optional)

75g walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Line a brownie tin or baking tin, about 24x16cm or 20cm square, with baking parchment.

Break up the chocolate into small pieces and put into a heatproof bowl with the coconut oil. Set the bowl over a pan of just-simmering water and leave to melt slowly, stirring occasionally until smooth, then leave to cool until barely warm. You can do it in a heavy-based saucepan over a very low heat - but super carefully, removing from the heat when the chocolate is about half melted and stirring to finish the melting. Either way, the molten mix must not be hot when you add it to the other ingredients later.

Sift together the ground almonds, rice flour, salt and baking powder; set aside.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together, with the vanilla if using, until well blended and frothy. It doesn't have to be a thick mousse: a minute with an electric whisk will do it, or a couple by hand with a rotary or balloon whisk.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour in the egg and sugar mix, followed by the molten chocolate. Starting slowly, mix the whole lot together with a wooden spoon or whisk until all is combined in an even but thick batter. Stir in the walnuts.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin, spread it out with a spatula and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top looks firm and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out fairly clean, but with a few moist crumbs sticking to it.

Let the brownie cool in the tin completely - leave for several hours or even overnight - then cut into squares or slices. These brownies are fairly gooey and a bit fragile - but very yummy indeed. If you put them in the fridge they'll get a bit fudgier and a bit firmer.

:: River Cottage Light & Easy by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is published in hardback by Bloomsbury, priced £25. For River Cottage food videos, visit www.rivercottage.net/food-tube

THREE OF THE BEST... Lighter products

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall doesn't specify which brands he uses in River Cottage Light & Easy, but these ingredients feature throughout the book. Here are our top three suggestions:

:: Mazola Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil, £3.49 for 500ml, Morrisons

This lovely yellow oil is a great alternative to olive oil and can be used for everyday cooking and drizzling onto salads or bread.

:: Ocado Organic Small Veg Box, £12, www.ocado.com

The contents of this generous box of goodness changes from week to week depending on what's in season. At the moment, expect lovely carrots, cabbages and courgettes.

:: The Groovy Food Company Virgin Coconut Oil, £6 for 283ml, available from Asda, Sainsbury's, Ocado, Waitrose, Holland & Barrett, Tesco and www.groovyfood.co.uk

This multi-tasking oil can be used for roasting, baking and even spreading onto toast.