Model-turned TV chef Lorraine Pascale hosts a new Sky Living cooking competition, My Kitchen Rules on Thursday, January 23.

The ten-part series will see Pascale and Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton judge dishes made by six pairs of amateur cooks in their own homes, with the winning couple scooping a £25k prize.

To impress Pascale, she likes her grub to have a “lot of texture, taste and a sense of theatre when it’s presented”.

And there’s one meal she especially loves to eat with her family and friends: “I do like a medium-cooked steak with bearnaise sauce and chunky chips.”

Despite not throwing too many “lavish dinner parties” herself, Pascale has a grounded approach to dining success, and it doesn’t just lie in the perfect ‘mane’.

“If someone’s cooking for me, I just eat it,” she says. “I don’t criticise or judge. It’s not all about the food. It’s about connecting and talking to people.”

WILD MUSHROOM TART WITH SHERRY & ONIONS (Serves 8 as a starter or 4 as a main)

Ingredients

4 sheets of frozen filo pastry, defrosted Spray oil (vegetable or sunflower spray’s fine) 2 onions, finely sliced 200g chestnut mushrooms, halved or quartered 100g oyster mushrooms, sliced 100g mixed exotic or wild mushrooms, sliced, halved or quartered 25g unsalted butter 1 garlic clove, finely chopped Leaves from 4 sprigs of rosemary, roughly chopped 100ml sherry 50g pine nuts, toasted 50g wild rocket Salt and freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 180C (Fan 160C/gas mark 4). Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside.

Method

Lay the four sheets of filo on top of each other and cut the stack in half down the length, then divide it into quarters across the width. This will give you eight stacks of about 12cm squares.

Fold a 1cm edge inwards around each of the stacks to create a small border. Arrange each one on the baking sheet as you go, and spritz with a little oil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until crisp and golden brown.

Meanwhile, gently fry the onions for about six minutes, until they’re just going soft. Add mushrooms and cook for a further minute, then add the butter, garlic, rosemary and seasoning, coating the mushrooms.

Continue to cook for eight to ten minutes until everything is soft. Turn the heat up to high, pour in sherry and allow to bubble for two to three minutes. Season if necessary.

Remove pastry squares from the oven once they’re cool enough to handle and arrange on plates. Divide the mushroom mixture between each square, scatter the pine nuts and rocket over, and serve.