If ever there was a corrective to the idea of the dour Scotsman, it could be found in Jeremy Lee. Dundee-born (and now London-based) Jeremy is chef proprietor of Quo Vadis, the historic Soho institution beloved of virtually everyone who’s ever had the privilege of eating one of his celebrated smoked-eel sandwiches. He’s also fabulous raconteur with a wit as sharp as his paring knife. No wonder Matt Gibberd was looking forward to interviewing him for the latest episode of our podcast…

“I first became aware of Jeremy’s food when he was head chef of Terence Conran’s Blueprint Café, which was above the old Design Museum in Shad Thames. Nowadays, of course, he’s in charge of the kitchen at the revered Quo Vadis in Soho.

 “No one seems to have a bad word to say about Jeremy, and Jay Rayner describes him as ‘one of those rare phenomena in the London food world: a chap everyone agrees is a good thing.’

 “His cookbook is simply called Cooking, which sums up his warm-hearted and simple approach to food.  

“I was fascinated to find out more about Jeremy’s life via the homes he’s lived in, from the modern house his parents built, which was shaped like a wedge of cheese, to the flat in a converted factory where we recorded this episode.

 “It turns out that his approach to interiors is as artful as his presentation of food – as if each element has been dolloped off a spoon and landed in exactly the right place.”