Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, wherever you happen to be reading from. A while back, I came up with the idea of interviewing people of interest about all things food. I have a list of people I would love to ask questions to, but we start off with an absolute queen of the TV! Sipper of rosé wine, star of Season 2 of The Traitors UK and Paul isn’t her son….but Ross is! It’s Diane Carson!
The first question we asked Diane was what her death row meal would be, we’re talking starter, main, dessert and tipple. Diane said, ‘I would choose a starter of Cheese Soufflé. Followed by Ox Cheek with all the trimmings. A savoury dessert of a cheese board, and it has to be a bottle of pink fizz or decent rosé & plenty of tap water.’ Not going to lie, but Ox Cheek with all the trimmings sounds absolutely delightful!
Diane goes on to tell me what the weirdest thing she’s eaten is, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing…There I was expecting something exotic, like crocodile or some kind of tropical fruit….nope, not Diane. ‘I once stuck my tongue in my mum’s Hundreds and Thousands, they had been sitting in the larder and were long out of date, the container was full of maggots!’ Personally, if I saw maggots, I wouldn’t have stuck my tongue in, but each to their own, I suppose!
I followed that up by asking what cuisine Diane would eat for the rest of her life and why, the answer wasn’t what I was expecting. ‘I’d actually choose Turkish, the reason being that it contains most of the types of food that I enjoy,‘ she says. I question if there is a dish or food type that she loves, but just would never dare to attempt cooking herself. Her reply made me laugh! ‘It would have to be Ox Cheek, just in case it actually looked like a cheek before I cook it, I wouldn’t be able to eat it again after seeing that!‘
The next question I set aside for her was one that I look forward to asking many people down the line. What is your biggest food-related pet peeve, something that irrationally drives you mad? ‘I hate people piling up their plates with food when it’s complimentary, such as at an all-inclusive resort or at an ‘all you can eat and drink’ setting.’ Awkwardly, I hate to admit that I am such a person, especially at a buffet on a cruise ship!
Another question that I look forward to asking people is, ‘You’re throwing a dream dinner party, who’s at the table and what are you serving?’. Surprisingly, Diane isn’t serving Ox Cheek! Instead, she opts for ‘Turkey Rissoles with Apple Coleslaw, followed by Lasagne with a side salad, a sweet dessert of Chocolate Pavlova (served with a dessert wine), a Cheese Board accompanied with Fruits, Chutneys & Quince. Ending with some chocolates or sweets and an Irish Coffee (or a Speciality Coffee).’ What an absolute feast that is, I’d happily come round for a meal! She goes on to say, ‘In terms of who I’d throw the party for, it would be friends and family’. Well, that’s me out of it then!
I go on to ask if there is a place she has travelled to just for the food, and if it was worth it, but Diane goes on to say, ‘I LOVE good food and eating out, but I don’t generally travel a great distance to go to a restaurant’. Rounding off the interview, I had to ask about her roast dinners, especially after her son, Ross, mentions in The Traitors that his mum cremates them. ‘My roasts are great, and a meat thermometer now ensures perfect cooking. However, entertaining is more important for me. Having friends and family in my home. If the meal hasn’t worked out, I’d just order a takeaway! If I’m hosting 60+ people, which I love to do…we’ll BBQ, make pizzas from scratch, and I’m certainly not adverse to throwing a jar or 2 of Dolmio into my lasagne!’ Tell you what, I don’t think I’d ever want to cater to 60+ people, I get stressed out cooking for my husband and myself, let alone anyone else!
I’d like to thank Diane Carson for being our first guest on The Taste Trekkers ‘Culinary Adventures with’ series. This is a brainchild, and I aim to improve upon it as we do more of them, finding a way to write them that both entices you in and is entertaining to read. Thank you for reading, and if you’d like to follow Diane, you can do so in the link below:
So, there are two responses to this. Firstly, in terms of gaming, I usually unplug around 7 pm so my husband and I have a couple of hours to watch TV or a film. In regard to totally unplugging from technology, I probably don’t do it as often as I should. I can be on my phone up until the moment I go to sleep without it having an effect on me.
The Taste Trekker 
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