I love watching Rachel Allen working in her Everyday Kitchen

Helping me stuff my face with goodies: Rachel Allen

Thanks to pregnancy-related diabetes, for the past few weeks, I’ve been obsessed with cake, biscuits, mousses and everything else sugar-related that I can’t eat, though I can – literally – sit and drool at pictures of. But thanks to Rachel Allen, I now want rich, sumptuous prawn bisque by the bucketful.

Allen is a massive culinary name in Ireland, and I often saw her beaming out at me from Irish newspapers’ and magazines’ TV pages (usually because I put it there as a daily telly choice). But – and here comes the bitch in me – I always thought she came across as a bit, well, prissy. All smile and no substance. However, after thoroughly enjoying the first episode of her series Everyday Kitchen, on digital channel Good Food, I can now say without fear of contradiction that I WAS COMPLETELY WRONG.

Yes, she’s an attractive woman with sparkling eyes, clear skin and gorgeous hair, but take one look at those fingernails. No foot-long talons or French manicures here, thank you very much – those are the hands of a hard-working cook: clean, capable and practical. Colour me impressed.

The food on offer was awesome too. In this instalment, I was treated to dishes of Mexican prawns with guacamole and salsa, as well as an inventive marriage between the pizza and the potato – something  would never had dreamed of putting together, but I’m definitely going to try now – as well as the aforementioned bisque.

I adored Allen’s warm, yet unfussy, almost businesslike approach to presenting, a welcome change from Delia’s rather stiff delivery and Nigella’s almost constant bosom heaving. It was like sitting in a friend’s kitchen while she rustled something up. I may not be in gastronomic heaven for the foreseeable future, but half an hour or so in Rachel’s company every week will make sure it’s not quite food hell, either.

Just think of me fondly if she decides to do a cake…

THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN OF IT

WHAT’S IT CALLED?

Rachel Allen’s Everyday Kitchen

WHEN IS IT ON?

7pm, Thursday, October 3

WHAT CHANNEL?

Good Food

WHO’S IN IT?

Er, Rachel Allen – and some really delicious-looking Dublin Bay prawns.

WHO SHOULD WATCH IT?

Anyone looking for smart recipes, cleverly cooked.

WHO SHOULDN’T WATCH IT?

Delia and Nigella. Or perhaps they should? They could learn a thing or two…