As part of Activia’s Feel Good Cook of the Year competition I was invited down to London to join in a fun filled afternoon baking cakes. There was a buzz of excitement in the kitchen all afternoon.  With good company and fabulous food – Gok cooks a mean Thai green curry – this is definitely an experience that will be ingrained on my brain for years to come.

We were set to work with baking a cake under the watchful eye of Stefano, one of the chefs at La Cucina Caldesi.

Our work stations were all set up for us, with all the ingredients organised and weighed out in bowls – I wish baking was like this at home. We baked a wonderful Rosemary, Apple and Prune Activia Yoghurt cake.

I’ve never tried baking with herbs before, but the apples and rosemary worked well together.  This is actually a very fool proof recipe and can be adapted to suit anyone’s taste palate.

Here’s Gok as chief judge testing the finished products:

The cake tasted lovely dusted with icing sugar and served with a squeeze of lemon juice, so good!

All of that baking required a hard earned rest, during which I got the opportunity to chat to Activia ambassador Gok Wan on all things related to cooking, health and Christmas with some cup Earl Grey tea.

How do you start the day?

Usually with a cup of coffee, that is literally how my day starts. I tend not to have breakfast as soon as I wake up because I have a French bull dog and I have to tend to him first.  I don’t have breakfast until about an hour and a half later, which tends to be an Activia pouring yoghurt with fruit.  I’m quite health conscious about what I eat – unless I’m in Belgium and I’m having too much beer! I generally eat quite healthily and eat probably six different light meals a day. I’m not a fry up kind of guy, it’s got to be a lot of fruit and vegetables.

Do you mix it up a little bit with cake and ice cream?  Do you have a healthy balance?

I genuinely don’t like those types of food. I don’t like the taste of oil or butter in cooking, but I like butter on bread.  I generally snack on things like raw cashews, dried fruit and Activia yoghurt. I don’t order a sweet in a restaurant and I don’t eat crisps or chips.  But I do bake, I like to bake healthy versions of things. It’s not about weight gain, which is what you associate low calorie food with, I just don’t like really butter, heavy, stodgy food. You know those big cupcakes piled with buttercream don’t do anything for me.  A big bowl of noodles on the other hand, great!

How do you make your cooking healthier?

I would reduce salt, reduce the sugar and reduce the oils. That’s just because I prefer that way of eating. I like clean eating, I like being able to taste the vegetables or the fish or whatever I’m cooking. That’s a traditional Chinese way of eating, you probably have several layers of flavours that marry together.  Some cuisines are very carb heavy with lots of oils at the bottom, whereas Chinese food is much more vegetable based.

Can you recommend any substitutions to make cooking healthier?

Using things like fruits for sugar.  One of my favourite things to bake is a banana and walnut cake, but I use no sugar and instead use apple puree that I have made myself.  I’d make cakes stickier with agave or honey. I also like to use different types of flours like almond flour as it’s much better for you. Also, I use rice bran oil instead of vegetable oil.  Cooking in a wok is healthier too as you keep all of the nutrients in. I never boil vegetables or blanche them as you loose all of the vitamins and minerals.

Are you in to eating meat alternatives?

Yes, I eat a lot of tofu and soya.  But in Chinese cooking we use a lot of vegetables as an alternative such as shitake mushrooms, which are really meaty.

With Christmas coming up, many women will be worried about their waistlines.  Do you have any tips for a healthy Christmas dinner?

It depends on what you want from your diet, in fact I’m an advocate of people not being on a diet.  I don’t believe in beating yourself up, but being more careful with life – it’s about having a preference. If you wanted to be very careful, instead of frying Brussels sprouts with lots of lardons, steam them with chestnuts. Instead of covering your carrots and vegetables with loads of butter, serve them with good quality coarse ground pepper. Or maybe add nutmeg to your mashed potato instead of butter. There’s lots of different things, I think you can get flavour in food really naturally – you don’t always have to add oil or butter. And that’s a personal thing really, I just don’t like the flavour of it (oil).  It’s all about naked food, I like my food naked!

Other than Chinese food, what are you other favourite cuisines?

It’s kind of all Asian.  I love Indonesian, I love Malaysian food – they’re my favourites!  Cooking at home I cook a lot of Italian because they also use a lot of fresh ingredients and herbs.  It’s actually very similar to Chinese food in that respect, if you were to replace all of the pasta with rice,  it’s very quick too.  Arrabiata is my favourite, but I like it made with fresh anchovies which I stew down and coarse ground olives.

Is there much scope to use yogurt in Asian cooking?

They do usually avoid dairy products, but in something like a Thai green curry where you can substitute coconut with yogurt.  But I guess anything with a cream based sauce like a Laksa or an Indonesian rendang, mainly the saucier dishes.  Also in desserts, you could used the yoghurt in custard tarts.  But, I can’t imagine what it would taste like in something like a stir fry!

Do you have a favourite dessert that you make using yoghurt?

Yes, I‘m currently developing a cake recipe using poppy seeds and sesame seeds, lemon and yoghurt. I made it for my Mum and Dad when they were down a couple of weeks ago and they loved it.

Have you ever made your own yogurt?

I’ve never tried to.  I suppose it’s like making tofu?  I’ve done that before.  I imagine that it’s quite easy actually.

What are your favourite things to make from scratch that other people may buy instead? 

Mainly the sauces. I like to make my own noodles at home when if I have the time.  I’ve tried to make my own pasta but I’m not very good – I’ve tried a million times!  I make my own dim sum pastry as well.

Where do you buy your fresh ingredients from?

All over really, I have to be honest it tends to be supermarkets, purely because of speed. I love the idea of driving up to Wembley to buy fresh herbs then coming down to China Town, but it’s just impossible. When I was designing my book apart from 2-3 ingredients, I made sure everything was available in the supermarket. For speed it has to be that way because I spend so much time running around.

Do you not like the old tradition of going to the butchers for your meat and the green grocers for vegetables?

If I had the time I would do it without a doubt.  If I do have a week off work I do find myself doing that.  I go to the fishmonger and the organic market near my home, but it does cost five times money and time that way. If I’m doing a dinner for six people and it takes longer than an hour there is no way that it’s going to happen!

Do you go in and push the trolley yourself or do you have it delivered?

I push the trolley myself! I can’t stand shopping online. I can’t shop for clothes online, I can’t buy anything online. I’ve tried but I just can’t do it.

Is it the whole touchy feel thing with shopping? 

I love shopping whether it’s for food, clothes or home accessories. Why would I want to take away one of the things that I love by sitting at a computer and not having any activity or relationship with what I’m doing?

What five things would you always have in your fridge?

Activia, milk, eggs, some form of vegetable, chilli and Quorn cocktail sausages. I’m addicted to them, they’re my treat.  I’m always snacking on those especially when I come in from work!

It was such an amazing day!  Gok is exactly as you see him on the TV and oodles of fun.  I feel so privileged to have been given this amazing opportunity along with the lovely Sarah.

 Do you like to cook with yoghurt?  What are your favourite recipes to cook?

How do you try to feel good from within?

*post is in association with Activia UK