Ainsley Harriott, the charismatic presenter of BBC's Ready, Steady, Cook is not much different in person to how he appears on television. His description as "larger than life" does him justice.
On the popular television show, which used to be aired on BBC Prime, Ainsley comes across as the funny guy, who manages to crack a joke even when the 20-minute cooking time is almost over.
His outstanding cooking capabilities are obvious, and yet his culinary skills do not make him look like an intimidating know-it-all.
This weekend Ainsley brought a dash of colour to the Mediterranean Food Festival at the Eden Arena in St Julians, where he presented two cookery shows and adjudicated a cooking competition. Witness to his popularity with the Maltese people were the long queues of fans waiting to have a little chat and get their books signed.
Instead of buckling under the pressure, Ainsley is all smiles. "It is great to see people respond. If you give something and they give something back, it's just magic. I enjoy speaking to people, spending time with them," he said.
He admits that his television fame has not changed him, something that people who knew him before he became a household name tell him constantly.
"I don't want to change. I don't want to take on anything that will change the fabric of who I am as a person, because that's important to me," he says in a short interview.
So, his celebrity status has not turned him into a snob? "Nah," he answers quickly. "I'm just me."
The fact that he enjoys meeting people is obvious. As is the fact that what you see on television is not an act, but an energetic chef doing what he likes best - cooking and meeting people.
For those who have never caught the show, Ready, Steady, Cook puts two chefs head to head, testing their culinary skills against a 20-minute deadline. If that does not seem daunting enough, the chefs have to whip up a dish using a previously unseen handful of ingredients brought by two members of the audience. The mouth-watering dishes presented at the end of each programme will fool anyone into thinking that the chefs have been at it for hours and not a mere 20 minutes.
Of course, Ainsley helps, chopping and slicing, blending and whisking, and keeping the audience and viewers in constant good humour with his jokes.
His years-long experience in the kitchen does not keep him from accepting, and enjoying, cooking tips from other chefs, and the visit to Malta was no different. While he enjoyed eating the baked snapper prepared by one of Malta's "top chefs" on Saturday evening, he seemed to relish the tip shared by the chef even more.
His face lights up in true food-lover fashion as he lists the traditional Maltese food he enjoyed tasting, including tomato sauce with olives and capers and fish soup. Of course, he says, Malta is surrounded by water, and therefore there is something special about people's passion for fish. Ainsley's sweet tooth was also satisfied with kannoli, a word which he sings out, twice, driving it home that what you get on television is the real him.
Now that he has been to Malta, should we expect his next book to include some Maltese flavour? If anything, he answers, this trip has made him realise that there is already a Maltese influence in his cooking.
"When you talk about traditional Maltese food, there is a little bit of Italian, some Arabic, French, it's such a nice mix. All you have to do is look at people's bone structure, their hair and eyes. There is a mix of people here, and I think it is reflected in the food."
Ainsley believes that cooking is something that can be learnt as opposed to a trait that you are either born with or else will never master. It is also something that is passed down through the generations, with children often starting to learn at a very young age.
"I remember sitting in a high-chair watching my mother cook. We don't think that children absorb information from when they are young, but they are sitting in their bouncy chairs and taking it all in. The time and effort we put in children will come back," he says.
He gets frustrated, even angry even, when he hears parents complaining that their children do not eat enough vegetables or some other food. Children have a whole life in front of them to enjoy new flavours, he says, although one must not allow them to eat fast food all the time. It is all about stages which they will grow out of, while the love for certain foods changes with age, because the palate changes.
Speaking about healthy eating, Ainsley thinks it's "quite easy" to prepare quick and healthy meals. He has even dedicated a book to the subject. One needs to get into the habit. He mentions pasta, something that most people know how to prepare. Instead of buying the cheap version, spend a little more, he recommends.
"If you go to a restaurant, you wouldn't think twice about spending a little more. But when people go to the supermarket and see a 'two for the price of one', they tend to think 'oh, that's nice and cheap'. But if you spend a little more, you get the freshness, and sometimes all you need is to add a little bit of olive oil, lemon juice and black pepper, and it's lovely."
On the other end of the health scales are chocolate, cream and butter, which everyone likes. "It has to be in moderation, the trick is getting the balance right."
He believes people are becoming more health conscious, and even when they go to a supermarket they tend to look for labels on products to see what's inside their food. Ainsley is applying this approach to his recipe books, including a calorie count with the recipes.
It might seem that for someone who has probably cooked most dishes imaginable, choosing a favourite dish would be problematic. But Ainsley does not think twice before answering that his favourite dish is his mother's red bean stew recipe.
"It was fantastic. But forget the 20 minute quickie, you're talking about two days of cooking. Soaking, marinating the beautiful meat, and then cooking with the beans and the other ingredients. It was sensational. I suppose the only problem is that you'll have some floating duvets around the bedroom because it is so rich," he adds with a mischievous smile.
His least favourite food is Witchetty Grubs, small, white larvae of the ghost moth, native to Australia. He did not enjoy their peanut, nutmeg but gritty texture. "But, of course, it's a new experience," he concludes.