Designer and broadcaster Kevin McCloud has revealed his love of growing fruit, making crumbles and cooking Yorkshire puddings during an appearance on the podcast Dish from Waitrose.
Speaking with hosts Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett OBE, Kevin discussed everything from gardening and regional food to pubs, home design and his TV projects.
He said growing fruit gives him more satisfaction than growing vegetables and explained that he built a walled garden specifically to grow apricots, peaches, cherries and plums.
He also offered practical advice for gardeners, calling courgettes the easiest crop to grow and warning that a single plant can produce more than enough for a large household.
Food remained a major theme throughout the conversation. Kevin described crumble and fruit puddings as his favourite dishes to make and shared his approach to Yorkshire puddings, including using coconut oil and extra eggs to help them rise.
He admitted family pride is attached to the results because of his Yorkshire roots.
Discussing pubs, Kevin said they remain important community spaces despite many relying on food sales to survive.
“For me, what makes a great pub is a quiet corner where I can do the crossword and have a pint,” he said.
The conversation also covered his new TV series, Kevin McCloud’s Listed Britain. He explained that the programme explores significant buildings across the UK, from Coventry Cathedral to former power stations facing demolition.
Kevin questioned whether more industrial heritage sites should be preserved and argued that some could be given new purposes rather than being replaced by more profitable developments.
Reflecting on more than two decades of Grand Designs, he said the people involved remain the most important part of the programme.
Asked about renovation trends, Kevin suggested homeowners should focus on creating spaces that reflect their own personalities rather than following fashions.
He said: “The best homes are always the autobiographical ones and the ones that really seem to speak of people and their objects and their collections.”
