Keeley Bolger catches up with one half of the Incredible Spice Men, Tony Singh.

FORGET fancy terrines and delicate jus, if you want to impress chef Tony Singh, just heat up some baked beans and offer him some sparkling company.

While the Scottish chef, one half of BBC Two’s The Incredible Spice Men, has tucked into some of the finest food in the world, for him, fodder is nothing without good people to enjoy it with.

“Food is half of a good meal,” explains the Edinburgh-based chef who starred in the cookery series with his pal Cyrus Todiwala.

“You could have a basic cheese sandwich or a roast chicken which is a little bit dry, but if you’re in the right company, who cares?

“Food is about sharing. You’re nurturing the body and the soul if you’re with the right people.”

In addition to this, food culture for Singh is about being as accessible as possible, which is why his new book Tasty includes plenty of recipes which use common shop-bought condiments like mayonnaise, chilli sauce, Worcestershire sauce and of course, his beloved baked beans.

“I know lots of people view food as fuel, and yeah, it is fuel, but we’re fortunate enough to be able to choose what we eat and drink,” says Singh, who enjoys breaking the bread with his four children and wife Bechan.

“But not to the extent where it’s divisive, you know. When you get foodies who say you can only have foraged this and foraged that... I’ll tell you the truth, you can have beans out of a tin! As long as you’re cooking, I think that’s great.”

A lot of people might have picked up a tin of beans and jazzed it up thanks to Singh’s TV series, which he is hopeful will be re-commissioned. That said, he is aware of how sometimes, cookery programmes don’t help people out.

“All the cooking on television is a double edged sword,” he explains.

“It’s very good that it’s got people enthused again and looking at stuff. But on the opposite side of that, people are quite anxious because it can be quite technical.”

Keen to take away the mystique surrounding cooking, Singh is a big advocate of using store-cupboard ingredients and just having a crack in the kitchen.

“If you’ve got that desire to cook something, fry off some onions in some garlic, chilli and spices, throw in a tin of beans and have it,” he says.

“It’s cooking, you know what I mean? You’re going to be putting things together that taste different and better.

“It’s like what we did in The Incredible Spice Men on TV. There’s nothing to be scared of, because if you make a mistake, you’re going to eat the evidence anyway.”