Hi Madeleine, tell us about your first favourite food memory…

I grew up in Spain with my mum and sisters, and my grandparents lived next door. Some of my earliest memories are of going over to their house for breakfast in the garden. My grandma would always lay the table with her best linens, while my grandad made us scrambled eggs. My favourite part was always orange marmalade on toast!

What dish is close to your heart? Which dish do you have fond memories of?

Fritura malagueña - a platter of crispy fried fish made from whatever the fishermen caught that day.

Every Sunday morning at home, we’d watch the fishing boats return to the port, and a few hours later, we’d head down to the beach for lunch. My mum and grandad would always order zarzuela, a rich seafood stew, and I’d insist on dunking my bread into their soup! We’d share huge platters of fritura malagueña with mixed Spanish salads and chips.

We would end up staying the whole afternoon, playing on the beach while my mum and grandparents had their after-dinner coffees. It was heaven.

What’s your go-to recipe when hosting friends?

Tacos. They’re easy to prep ahead, which means more time to do last minute bits before people arrive. I usually slow-cook chipotle chicken and serve everything on big sharing platters with different slaws.

Mob do a great jalapeño and tahini slaw that always goes down well. And of course, who doesn’t love a good margarita?

What are your three secrets to hosting?

1. Prep as much as you can in advance, and preferably cook something you can pop in the oven. Ottolenghi has some amazing dishes that can be prepared ahead of time so you can spend more time with your guests.

2. Lighting and music - have candles lit and a great playlist on.

3. Lastly, don’t stress too much. No one really cares how clean your house is or if the food isn’t perfect. Bridget Jones and her blue soup is a perfect example! People just want to be together, and that’s really the most important thing.