The celebrity chef likes to pack extra razor blades when travelling, and recalls a close shave in San Sebastian

“I love holidays, but I can’t stand the travel. I wish there was some energizer to transport you like in Star Trek.

“My favourite place is Fortevillage, Sardinia. I’ve taken my family there six years on the trot and everyone we’ve spoken to there says they’ve tried other holidays but always end up returning to it. It’s extremely well laid out, with a variety of hotels, and I think they can accommodate 1,700 people but you never feel as if there are more than 50 people around.

“But that’s not the best hotel I’ve stayed in. Hotel Imperial in Vienna is really spectacular, with lovely ceilings. Hitler stayed there once (a horrible thought, but a lovely place).

“I always over-pack when I go on holiday, taking jumpers I don’t need, and I pack plenty of razor blades, as I need to shave my head to keep it nice and smooth. The only advice I give people about packing is don’t forget your passport. It may sound stupid, but I’ve done it and my wife once had to make a mad dash home to retrieve it. And don’t try to travel with knives. I’ve been through minor hell when the scan has picked up kitchen knives and I’ve had to explain I need them to cook.

“The worst place I’ve stayed was a hotel in Rome that looked absolutely beautiful in the brochure, but when I got there it was terrible. The toilet wouldn’t fl ush, when you switched the lights on they blew a fuse and the TV jumped like you were watching it in the 1950s. We ended up putting the mattress on the floor because it sunk too deeply in the bed.

“But my worst experience was before I was married, when I went on a holiday to San Sebastian in Spain. Me and my mates had a train to catch at 5am, so we decided to crash out on the benches next to the station that night. There was some political unrest at the time. Suddenly a van came up and these cops poured out and wrestled us to the ground, taking away our passports. We heard gunfire and they all started becoming agitated and got their machine guns out. They took all our clothes out of our rucksacks and tossed them onto the street. Then, just as we were beginning to wonder whether they would start beating us, a radio called them somewhere else and as they drove off they tossed our passports back. I think we were lucky there.”

Interview: Mark Anstead
Ainsley Harriott’s book Low Fat Meals in Minutes is out now

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