This interview is part of a series on David Beckham's countryside champions, as featured in the October 22, 2025 edition of Country Life. Read part 1 with stockman Trevor Kirk , part 2 with milliner Barnaby Horn and part 3 with gardener Poppy Okotcha .

'Cooking is nothing if not theatrical and there is also something primal about it. It’s a method our ancestors would have used hundreds of thousands of years ago. It wasn’t on my radar, however, during the years I worked in a government policy role, feeling constrained and often staring out of the office window wishing that I was somewhere else.

'I met my wife, Ana Ortiz, 20 years ago. She hails from the Galapagos Islands, but also has relatives in Ecuador and, when visiting, I was awestruck by the barbecues they ho

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