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A chin-wag with Greg Wise

The actor makes a mean Csirkepörkölt, but how did he fancy his chances at impressing Paul and Prue?

Who taught you to bake?

I’m using a recipe book that my mum put together for myself and my sister of all the stuff we used to eat as kids, all of the meals, desserts and the cakes and the biscuits.  My great uncle on my dad’s side was a master baker back in the day.

What is your own personal signature dish?

From my mum’s side of the family, being from eastern European stock, I make a mean type of chicken goulash, Csirkepörkölt.  I made a rather banging crumble for lunch the other week with apples I picked from the tree and damsons we got off the tree, and playing round with all of that.  I love making stuff, I don’t think I’ve got a signature dish, I love playing.

Are you a Bake Off fan?

I’ve never seen it. Honestly, I haven’t watched telly since 1985, hand on heart.

What is your strength in baking?

I think my strength is probably not panicking, I think the more you do of something the more you think, you know what you think can fix it, or you can redesign it as you go.

Why are you supporting Stand Up To Cancer?

My sister died of cancer a couple of years ago. I was her full-time carer towards the end of her life. More and more people are suffering from it and more and more people are having to care for people suffering from it, and just to be aware and to do all we can to help those people both suffering and the carers.

You said you prefer experimenting with food rather than being a traditionalist, why is that?

I always like making things up as I go along really, I’m terrible at reading manuals.  I like to try stuff out until I can’t do something any more, then I’ll ask someone. I love going off piste really, and I suppose the work I find myself doing is all about making it up as you go along anyway and rolling with it.  I think that’s where the fun lives, when you make it your own. But that’s where it was tricky with the technical challenge, as you have to be able to follow the procedure and present whatever they are looking for.

If you were a baked good what would you be?

Something nutty. Not brittle, not a nut brittle. Maybe the cake I just made probably, a bit fruity, a bit nutty, slightly tarte in parts, but lovely and sweet on the outside. There you are, that’s me!