In 1997, Fearnley-Whittingstall moved into River Cottage, a former game-keeper's lodge on the grounds of Slape Manor in Netherbury, Dorset, UK, which he had previously used as a weekend and holiday home. The lodge became the setting for three Channel 4 series: Escape to River Cottage, Return to River Cottage and River Cottage Forever, all directed by Garry John Hughes.

Georgia Humphreys catches up with the celebrity chef about his foodie habits.

Vegetarianism is on the rise, but Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall of River Cottage has always championed food that comes straight for the ground - which his latest cookbook, River Cottage Much More Veg, more than proves.

But what does the foodie favourite and TV chef's diet look like on a day-to-day basis? What can't he bear to eat? And what does Angel Delight really mean to him? We found out...

Your ultimate death-row, last-night-on-earth meal, would be...

"Whatever is in the garden, I mean, I get I might not have access to the garden, but if we could move it away from the whole death row thing, just whatever's ripe.

"We had some incredible strawberries last weekend, my mother gave me a kind of quirky variety a few weeks ago and they're growing away from the rest, and I got to them and they were almost overripe, almost alcoholic with ripeness. But this time of year, courgettes and peas and green beans - they're all coming and it's just fantastic. So whatever's in the garden and maybe something from the sea, a nice mackerel on the barbecue."

The thing you still can't make is...

"Funny enough, if I get my act together, I can cook rice, but I find if I'm lazy about cooking rice [I can't]. Of course, different types of rice need slightly different approaches. But I am a believer in rinse the rice well, then stir-fry it very gently with a bit of olive oil and get the amount of water right and then cook it. Don't cook it too fast, don't let it boil, or let it come to the boil and then steam it really gently with the lid on. So I'm getting to grips with rice, but wouldn't say I've nailed it."

Your favourite store cupboard essential has to be...

"Whole almonds at the moment. I've got some on the go - there's a few recipes in the book that pick up on this - but I soak them in water overnight and they plump and when you eat them, they taste like fresh almonds. They double or triple in size and that's a little extra snack for breakfast, sprinkled on the muesli, or I sometimes just put a handful with an apple and eat those for my breakfast if I'm on the move."

The kitchen utensil you can't live without is...

"I'm very very fond of my potato ricer. So it's not a masher; it's like a giant garlic crusher where you squeeze the potatoes through a little hole, but I used it for creamy delicious mash. It's also really useful for lightly squeezing big piles of steamed greens or spinach, just squeezing them to quickly get not all but most of the water out, so you can then toss them in a little bit of oil or dressing."

If you get hungry late at night, the snack you'll reach for is...

"I try not to snack too late at night because I sleep better if I don't. But if there was major munchies, it's most likely, honestly, to be revisiting the leftovers. If there's a chicken drumstick, or it might be some leftover roast veg, or risotto. If you're talking about a party or you've stayed up really late and, god dammit, you want to eat something, it's basically raiding the fridge for leftovers."

Preferably your eggs will be...

"Well, I can't stand runny, gooey, gelatinous white. I do like a soft boiled egg but it's a four-and-a-half-minutes egg, not a three-minute egg. And a fried egg has to be basted with the fat in the pan or over easy. And scrambled eggs - soft but not too runny."

Your favourite childhood dinner was always...

"Findus Crispy Pancakes followed by Angel Delight. But my mums' homemade lasagne when I was a little bit older, followed by her lemon mousse - that was the transition for me, discovering that the real proper versions, the homemade lasagne and the homemade lemon mousse, were actually better than the Findus Crispy Pancake and the Angel Delight."

For dinner last night you ate...

"Boiled beetroot, two smoked pouting out of the freezer - it's a member of the cod family. I caught these a few weeks ago. I poached them in a bit of milk and had them with new potatoes and beetroot from the garden, and the beetroot leaves and a little bit of broccoli - although that was mainly consumed by the little ones."

Your takeaway of choice is...

"Probably really, really good fish and chips."

Your hangover cure has to be...

"A Bloody Mary."

You really can't stomach...

"I'd have to go back to that egg white. I feel quite strongly about that."

And your signature dish is...

"I make drop scones for the kids at the weekend."

:: River Cottage Much More Veg by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, photography by Simon Wheeler, is published by Bloomsbury, priced £26. Available now.