Ainsley Harriott Biography
Ainsley Harriott is an English chef, television presenter, and entertainer from Paddington, London, England. He is best known for his BBC cooking shows Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook and Ready Steady Cook.
Harriott has been one of the British favorite TV chefs for over three decades. He has worked in London’s top hotels and restaurants with his years of experience working in professional kitchens. He was invited to become a resident chef on BBC TV’s Good Morning With Anne And Nick.
Ainsley is a diehard supporter of Arsenal F.C. Harriott studied at Westminster Kingsway College (formerly Westminster Technical College). There, he obtained an apprenticeship at Verrey’s restaurant in London’s West End, later working as a commis chef.
His talents lie in comedy and singing as well as cooking. Harriott formed the Calypso Twins with school friend Paul Boross, releasing a hit record in the early 1990s, “World Party”. He also became head chef at the Long Room of Lord’s Cricket Ground. Harriott was asked to present More Nosh, and Less Dosh on BBC Radio 5 Live. He also has appeared as an extra in Hale and Pace.
Ainsley Harriott Age
Harriott was born on 28 February 1957 in Paddington, London, England. He is 62 years old as of 2019.
Ainsley Harriott Picture
Ainsley Harriott Wife
She married former costume designer Clare Fellows. Fellows is the youngest sister of comedian-actor Graham Fellows. The couple has two children. They were reported to have separated and they remain on good terms in November 2012.
Ainsley Harriott Family
Harriott was born to Peppy (née Strudwick) and pianist and singer, Chester Leroy Harriott (1933–2013). He is of Jamaican heritage.
Ainsley Harriott Chef
Ainsley became the resident chef on Good Morning with Anne and Nick and later the main presenter of Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook and Ready Steady Cook, both shows involving members of the public.
Harriott presented more straightforward how-to-cook programs such as Ainsley’s Barbecue Bible, Ainsley’s Meals in Minutes, Ainsley’s Big Cook Out and Ainsley’s Gourmet Express.
Ainsley Harriott Who Do You Think You Are?
Harriott took part in the genealogy documentary series Who Do You Think You Are? in September 2008. He knew that his great-grandfather Ebenezer Harriott was in the colonial West India Regiment. He was assumed that they were descended from slaves.
Harriott confirmed that his great-grandfather had a distinguished military career in Barbados. He learned that he had fought for the British Empire in the Sierra Leone Hut Tax War of 1898.
He appeared in the final My Family Christmas special in 2010 “Mary Christmas”. Harriott was paired with professional dancer Natalie Lowe for the thirteenth series on 5 September 2015. Harriott was the fourth contestant to be voted off and finished twelfth.
Ainsley Harriott Film Appearances
He was the president of the Television and Radio Industries Club (TRIC) 2004–05. He presented their awards ceremony that year. Harriott markets his own range of food, including couscous, risotto, soups, and cereal bars.
He played the role of the Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show at the New Theatre, Cardiff in March 2010, at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley in October 2010, and again at the Richmond Theatre in November 2010.
Harriott also appeared in the BBC radio comedy series Giles Wembley Hogg Goes Off as himself in 2006.
Ainsley Harriott Net Worth
The English chef and television personality have an estimated net worth of $4 million.
Ainsley Harriott Books
1999 Ainsley Harriott’s Meals In Minutes
2000 Ainsley Harriott’s Barbecue Bible
2002 Ainsley Harriott’s Low-fat Meals In Minutes
2002 Ainsley Harriott’s Gourmet Express
2003 Ainsley Harriott’s All New Meals In Minutes
2003 Ainsley Harriott’s Gourmet Express 2
2003 The Top 100 Recipes from Ready Steady Cook
2004 Ainsley Harriott’s Friends and Family Cookbook
2005 Ainsley’s Ultimate Barbecue Bible
2006 Ainsley Harriott’s All New Meals In Minutes
2006 Ainsley Harriott’s Feel Good Cookbook
2008 Ainsley Harriott’s Fresh and Fabulous Meals in Minutes
2009 Just Five Ingredients
2011 My Kitchen Table: 100 Meals in Minutes
2012 My Kitchen Table: 100 Great Chicken Recipes
2019 Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen
Ainsley Harriott TV Shows
1988 Hale & Pace
1990–1991 Davro
1992–1996 Good Morning with Anne and Nick
1993 Red Dwarf
1994–2010 Ready Steady Cook
1995–2000 Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook
1997 Ainsley’s Barbecue Bible
1998 Ainsley’s Meals in Minutes
1999 Ainsley’s Big Cook Out
2000–2001 Gourmet Express
2000–2001 Ready.. Set… Cook!
2000 The Ainsley Harriott Show
2003 The Mark Steel Lectures
2005–2007 City Hospital
2010, 2017 Lorraine
2013 Great British Food Revival
2015 Ainsley Harriott’s Street Food
Strictly Come Dancing
Len and Ainsley’s Big Food Adventure
2016 The Best Dishes Ever
2018 Costa Del Celebrity
2019 Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen
Ainsley Harriott Recipes
Onion Okra Bhaji with Hot Sauce Mango Chutney
Ingredients
3 white onions, trimmed and finely sliced
1 red pepper, de-seeded and finely sliced
8–10 okra, washed, trimmed, de-seeded (see tip) and finely sliced on an angle
50–75g gram (chickpea) flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground allspice
a pinch each of salt and pepper
vegetable oil, for frying
For the Hot Sauce Mango Chutney
4 tbsp mango chutney
2 tsp Hot Pepper Sauce
2 spring onions, finely sliced
a small handful of coriander, finely chopped
Method
First, make the chutney. Place the mango chutney in a bowl, add the hot pepper sauce and stir to combine. Add the spring onions and fresh herbs and mix together. Set aside.
Fill a large deep heavy-based saucepan with vegetable oil to a depth of 2½cm and set over a medium–high heat.
While the oil is heating, in a pestle and mortar, lightly bash the sliced onions and red pepper for 4–5 minutes, so that they release their juices, then tip into a large bowl and add the okra. Sprinkle over the gram flour so that the vegetables are lightly coated, then add the baking powder, chilli flakes, ground cumin, allspice and salt and pepper. Using your hands, massage the ingredients together so that the flour and spices combine with the juices from the vegetables. Add a splash of water, if needed, but make sure that the coating isn’t too wet.
Test the oil is hot enough for deep-frying by dropping in a small piece of bread: it should sizzle and brown in 40–50 seconds. When ready, pinch small handfuls of the bhaji mixture, form loosely into spiky balls and use a slotted spoon to carefully lower them into the hot oil. Cook for 3–4 minutes, turning once or twice until crisp and golden in colour. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on kitchen paper.
Serve with the Hot Sauce Mango Chutney.
TIP: When de-seeding the okra, use a teaspoon to easily scrape out the seeds.
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