Feedback with David Walliams

Photo by Charlie Clift

Feedback with David Walliams

Comedian, actor and now bestselling author David Walliams became a household name as part of the comedy show Little Britain, where his knack for character acting and comedic timing was firmly aimed at adults.

Now he has a whole new fanbase and they are probably all under the age of 13! With his children's books captivating young readers his literary creations have now taken on a life of their own on stage and the latest, Awful Auntie, is now touring the UK until November 2024. David took time out from his busy schedule to share some of his food likes and dislikes. Why fish and chips remind him of his best Christmas ever, how he rewards himself for completing a chapter when he is writing - and why he prefers to buy tomato sauce in a glass bottle!

What food always reminds you of your childhood?
My mum’s cooking. My mum, who is now 80 has always taken pleasure in cooking for the family. When I was a child, she had a repertoire of seven dishes, so we ate the same food on the same nights each week. Shepherd’s Pie, Sausage and Mash, Beef Stew, Macaroni Cheese, Fish and Chips, Roast Chicken, Bubble and Squeak. So, whenever I have any of these foods I judge them against my mum’s versions. Do they taste as good? No, they never do. 

Do you have a current favourite restaurant or type of restaurant?
I am very fortunate to have dined at many of the best restaurants in London. I love the River Café, run by the wonderful Ruth Rogers, who unlike most well-known chefs, is always there. The food is second to none, there is a relaxed atmosphere, and you can sit outside in the summer and gaze at the Thames. My ten-year-old son Alfred loves the Stracciatella ice-cream.

Do you cook and if so, what’s your signature dish?
I have never been much of a cook. I used to eat out a lot, but now I have a son I love cooking for us both. Our favourite is roast chicken. I do cheat on the Yorkshire puddings, that are Aunt Bessie’s.

What food or ingredient could you not do without?
Butter. It makes everything taste a hundred times better. Butter on crumpets. Butter in mash. Buttered peas. Butter on corn. Bread and butter pudding. Yum.

What was the most memorable meal you can remember eating?
One Christmas Day during lockdown I was home alone with Alfred. He was seven and I cooked us burgers and chips for lunch. And it was the best Christmas ever. One we will both never forget.

Awful Auntie only ever eats puddings, are you a pudding fan and if so, what’s your favourite?
I love puddings more than any other course. My favourite dessert is Tarte Tropezienne which I first had at a restaurant in St Tropez called Le Club 55. Elton John took me there for my birthday and now I try to have it every year on my birthday wherever I am but only once a year or as it is extraordinarily calorific.

When you are writing, do you keep to a regimented eating pattern, or do you just reach for the biscuit tin?
I reward myself with a treat when I finish a chapter. That is usually a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit. Fortunately, I only manage one or two chapters a day which is how I keep my girlish figure.

Is there something particular you always keep in the fridge?
Tomato ketchup. Heinz of course. I love the glass bottles. They seem posher than the squeezy plastic ones. I try not to have too much, but for me it is essential when I have chips.

What would be your last supper if literally anything was available to you and where would you eat it?
I would eat an entire Banoffee Pie. In fact, I would very happily drown in one.

Win one of 3 signed copies of Awful Auntie in our competition. Click here to enter.

Awful Auntie is now on tour, visiting over 25 venues nationwide including Sunderland, Cardiff, Manchester, Belfast, Richmond, Llandudno, Bradford, Cambridge and Glasgow until 10 November 2024! For more information and to book your tickets, please visit awfulauntielive.com