Barney Desmazery

As Good Food's self-confessed kitchen fanatic, Barney has a passion for food and the finer points of cooking

After seven years working as a chef in France, London and Sydney, Barney joined Good Food as cookery writer in 2001, and is now the longest standing member of the cookery team. In 2004 he was promoted to Deputy Food Editor and went on to become Good Food's Associate Food Editor. In September 2009 he was promoted again to become Good Food's Cookery Editor.

Passion for food

More than anything, Barney likes seeing people enjoy what he's cooked, sitting down to eat with family and friends.

He believes you can't cook something properly without being passionate and enthusiastic from the start and he loves the finer points of cooking such as butchery and the technical knife skills. He likes to picks up tips from contributing chefs and pass them on to the reader, much like a footballer would watch a match and learn from their favourite player.

Outside the office, he's compiling a book of seasonal recipes that he's contributed to the magazine over the years.

Q&A

What three ingredients do you always have in your fridge?: A whole piece of smoked bacon or pancetta, eggs and a block of Grana Padano - add a couple more ingredients and the 15 minute supper possibilities are endless.
Who do you admire, and what would you cook for them?: I admire the people at The Kids Cookery School who have been teaching kids to cook since Jamie was still eating school dinners and the government had long forgotten about cooking on the curriculum. What would I cook for them? Something deliciously simple like wild mushrooms on toast or a perfectly roasted chicken.
Who inspired you to start cooking and fuelled your love of food?: I can't remember a time when food hasn't been important, meal time as a child was always three or four simple little courses rather than a huge plateful of food. Wanting to learn how to cook properly just seemed like a good idea but once I enrolled into catering college I was hooked. What continues to fuel my love has been feeding my daughter and watching with amazement as she try's something new and scrumptious. Feeding kids properly really isn't that hard and should be one of the most important things you do as a parent.

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