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News | 15 Feb 2021

David Gandy and Chris Baber reveal kitchen secrets in celebrity cookalong

Former model, David Gandy and celebrity chef, Chris Baber, bubble up a crumble with London Music College alumni while raising money for education charity, Achievement for All.

In the latest edition of Cookalong TV’s lockdown dinner parties, Vodafone VeryMe competition winner, Nikki Camilleri and five friends joined Chris and David on Friday evening from kitchens across London.

With cocktails in hand, thanks to soft drinks sponsor Fever-Tree, the friends – all musicians – put their culinary skills to the test after a welcome from David, who introduced his chosen charity, Achievement for All.

This “astonishing charity”, which David has represented since 2015, has a mission to ensure equal access to learning for all children – something which has become even more important during the pandemic.

On the menu was creamy pancetta and pea pasta, followed by raspberry and strawberry almond crumble, the former Dolce & Gabbana model’s “go-to” dessert. David admitted that he was no expert in the kitchen, but had 10 or so key dishes on hand when he needed them.

“You can never go wrong with a roast dinner, and I’m a roast potato expert,” he joked.

Guitarist, Harry, and drummer, Ollie, were more interested in his love of cars. After school, David first wrote for Auto-Trader and admitted that classic cars were his true passion, with a Jaguar XK 120 and Porsche 356 the highlights of his collection.

Vodafone customer and VeryMe Rewards winner, Nikki and partner Rob first met Tara, Sacha, Dayana, Ollie and Harry at music college and have remained friends ever since.

Celebrity chef and friend Chris Baber, who is chef and food ambassador for Marks & Spencer, soon put the group at ease, keeping the conversation going as well as the cooking.

His own story, moving from the small town of Hexham, Northumberland, to London with just a bag and a job offer, resonated with the graduates, who themselves had moved from Scotland, Spain and even Malta to pursue their own passions.

After six months working in a Michelin-starred kitchen, Chris decided to focus on his own brand, sharing practical recipes on social media to get more people cooking.

“When someone tells me that they tried my recipe and even their kids loved it, that’s my biggest satisfaction,” Chris said with a smile.

It was this authenticity that caught David’s attention, and after a chance encounter on Fulham Road, he began helping Chris to navigate the world of personal branding and sponsorships. The two became friends along the way – an uplifting story as the crumble bubbled and the bacon sizzled.

The conversation only stopped when everyone tucked into the smoky pasta dish, a clear favourite. Soon to follow was the caramelised pudding, although it looked like Olly and Harry might have confused the grill and oven settings – half of their dish was more charcoal than crunch!

You can find the recipe and follow the Cookalong with David Gandy and Chris Baber in full on YouTube.

To be in with a chance of taking part in the next Cookalong event, download the VeryMe Rewards app where we’ll reveal our next celebrity guest.

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