Ainsley Harriott
Flamboyant chef Ainsley Harriott has notched up fourteen series of Ready Steady Cook, alongside numerous primetime cookery series featuring his fresh, fun and accessible cuisine.
His career started at the age of 16 when Ainsley began training at Westminster College. He went on to become a junior trainee in West End restaurant Verrey's, where he graduated to commis chef, before moving to The Strand Palace.
He continued to work in professional kitchens, including The Dorchester, Brown's, The Hilton, The Westbury, New Bond Street, Café Peilican and Quaglino's.
In 1997, Ainsley's first solo series Barbecue Bible took him around the world, sampling and cooking the very best open-air food. Ainsley's Meals in Minutes, Ainsley's Big Cook Out and Ainsley's Gourmet Express soon followed. Soon after this he became resident presenter on Ready, Steady, Cook. He also presented the one-off BBC show 50 Things to Eat Before You Die, where viewers nominated their favourite dishes of all-time.
Ainsley Harriott photo gallery
Books
Just Five Ingredients
Ainsley Harriott's Low Fat Meals in Minutes
Olympic Cookbook, BBC Books, 2004
Ainsley Harriott's All New Meals In Minutes, BBC Books, 2006
The Feel-Good Cookbook, BBC Books, 2006
The Top 100 Recipes from Ready Steady Cook, BBC Books, 2003
Low Fat Meals in Minutes, BBC Books, 2002
Gourmet Express, BBC Books, 2002
Barbecue Bible, BBC Books, 2000
The Big Cook Out, BBC Books, 1999
Meals In Minutes, BBC Books, 1999
Can't Cook Won't Cook, BBC Books, 1997
Ainsley Harriott's Recipes
Ainsley Harriott makes this New England speciality grander by adding prawns or cooked mussels
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Total time
25 min
This Oriental-style duck is delicious served with the fresh plum sauce. If you don't have any plums, nectarines make a surprisingly good substitute.
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Total time
40 min
This is an excellent lower fat alternative of a much-loved dessert. The best thing about it is that it is so delicious that you won’t even notice that you have chosen the healthier option!
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Total time
10 min
This is an easy way to make lovely, crispy Chinese-style pork, which looks dramatic and exciting on the barbecue.
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Total time
1 hr 15 min
If you like the taste of toffee apples, just wait until you taste these sticky summer puddings that are literally assembled in minutes.
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Total time
25 min
Give fish & chips a modern twist with Ainsley Harriotts healthy alternative - created to celebrate the National Fish & Chip shop awards
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Total time
35 min
Ainsley Harriott’s sweet moreish breakfast pancakes go perfectly with banana and honey
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25 min
These sticky buns from Ainsley Harriott make a great weekend breakfast treat. Kids just love to get involved with all the mixing, kneading and rolling
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Total time
3 hrs 10 min
The combination of barbecued peppers, potatoes and tender pink lamb drizzled with a really scrumptious dressing will instantly become a party favourite.
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30 min
Ainsley Harriott cooks tender lamb in a blend of aromatic spices and yogurt for an Indian classic
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Total time
1 hr 40 min
