With the Euros in full swing, The Resident catches up with England football hero Gary Lineker to get the lowdown on what life is like off the pitch. Turns out, he as happy cooking up a good steak at his home in Barnes as he was in his days on the pitch…

Do you enjoy cooking? Yes I do and I find it quite relaxing. I wouldn’t claim to be a particularly good cook, but I conjure up the odd dish, every now and again.

Do you have a signature dish? Probably nothing that will trouble the great chefs of this world! Like most blokes, I can do a steak and I can do a roast dinner. I’m quite proud of my roast dinners, in particular my roast spuds…

What activities, other than cooking and eating, take place in your kitchen? It’s a good room for having people round, there is a little bit of drinking. As you see, I have a couple of brilliant wine fridges.

 

Do you have any favourite wines? I love good wine, not necessarily a particular favourite, but anything of high quality is great, and so I treat myself every now and again. I’ll drink white, but really a good claret is my favourite.

Do your children use the kitchen? Actually Tobias, my third, does a bit of cooking and is quite interested, but mostly they are in their 20s and late teens, so all they do is heat stuff up – ready meals or whatever. I wouldn’t say that they cook, but I’m sure their time will come!

Are any of them following in your footsteps career-wise? No, none of them are going to be footballers. The middle two are both reasonable players. Tobias was at Chelsea’s academy for a while, but then he had bad knees for about two years, and he couldn’t play. Two or three of them play just for fun, which is fine. It’s probably the best way; it would be really hard for them otherwise.

As one of England’s best-loved footballers, how important is your diet to you now? I think we’ve got a greater understanding of nutrition now. We certainly didn’t when I played football, we’d eat steaks or crazy stuff just before a game! It’s all very different now and I think we’re a little more conscious of living properly and eating properly, especially when you get to a certain age; so I’m interested in nutrition and eating reasonably healthy.

Is it all health foods for you or do you indulge in the odd burger now and again? Oh crikey, I’m a bit naughty, I think it’s very important that we all get treats in life, whether that be cakes or a few crisps now and again! At the same time, it’s like all things in life, if you can enjoy a balanced diet then you will be OK.

Do you like watching cooking programmes? If so, which ones? I do, I like MasterChef and the Great British Bake Off, which has captured everyone’s imagination. There are lots of them on TV and they are a great way to learn about cooking.

What’s the favourite part of your kitchen and why? My wine storage because wine is a bit of a passion of mine, it’s great to be able to keep them exactly how you want them.

What was the design inspiration of your kitchen based on? I love colour, you can see there are lots of splashes of colour in the kitchen. The big artwork on the wall is actually an artist’s floor that I bought in Paris. There’s a little bit of Soho House vibe in the house, which I like.

Serious about your kitchen appliances? See subzero-wolf.co.uk or call 0845 250 0010