Brand ambassador of Sub-Zero Wolf Gary Lineker talks about cooking, nutrition and kitchen inspiration

Q: Do you do much cooking, are you a keen cook or does [wife] Danielle create most of the meals?

A: I would say I’m the secondary cook in this house but I enjoy cooking, I find it quite relaxing. I wouldn’t claim to be particularly good but I conjure up the odd thing, every now and again.

Q: Do you have a signature dish?

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A: Probably nothing that will trouble the great chefs of this world, in their sleep, but like most blokes I can do a steak and I can do a roast dinner. I’m quite proud of my roast dinners, my roast spuds. I eat them anyway!

Q: How much time as a family do you tend to spend in the kitchen?

A: Quite a lot, I think we’re lucky to have a nice big kitchen, with plenty of living area, so as a family I think we spend quite a lot of time in the kitchen. Either there or I’m down in my man cave!

Q: What activities, other than cooking and eating, ever take place in your kitchen?

A: It’s a good room for having people round, there is a little bit of drinking (that goes on). I have a couple of wine fridges there. I have been known to open a few bottles.

Q: Do you have any favourite wines?

A: I love good wine, not necessarily a particular favourite but anything of high quality is great. So I treat myself every now and again. I’ll drink white but really good claret is my taste.

Q: What about your children, do they use the appliances?

A: Actually, Tobias, my third does a bit of cooking and is quite interested but mostly they are in their 20s and late teens, so you can imagine they heat stuff up that they buy – ready meals or whatever it is. I wouldn’t say that they actually cook but I’m sure their time will come!

Q: Are any of them following in your footsteps career-wise?

A: 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, he couldn’t play. Two or three of them play just for fun, which is fine. It’s probably the best way.

Q: How many children do you have?

A: I’ve got four boys and a step daughter. They range from 23 down to 18 now.

Q: How important is nutrition to you, today?

A: I think we’ve got a greater understanding of nutrition now. I certainly didn’t when I played football. We probably ate anything, even before a game. It’s all very different now and I think we’re a little more conscious of living properly, eating properly. Especially when you get to a certain age; so I’m interested in nutrition, eating reasonably healthy, getting the right things inside me.

Q: Have you noticed that your food lasts longer in your Sub-Zero? 

A: Absolutely, it’s a great piece of kit, I love that fridge. The glass front means you can see what’s in there and it’s huge. When it’s full even my four have trouble emptying it! Everyone loves it – they say ‘wow’ – it’s spectacular! 

Q: Is it all health foods for you or do you indulge in the odd burger?

A: 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, if you can have a balanced diet – lots of healthy things and a mixture then I think we’re all ok.

Q: Do you like watching cooking programmes?

A: I do, I like Masterchef and the Great British Bake Off, which has captured everyone’s imagination. There are lots of them – a great way to learn about cooking. Danielle was on Hell’s Kitchen a few years ago, getting to the last three. She’s a good cook, she enjoys it and she did alright!

Q: What’s the favourite part of your kitchen and why?

A: 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. And the fridge – when it’s full!

Q: What was the design inspiration for your kitchen?

A: Danielle was very involved in the design of the kitchen and she’s very arty. We love colour. There are lots of splashes of colour in the kitchen. The big artwork on the wall is actually an artist’s floor that we bought in Paris. There’s a little bit of a Soho House vibe in the house, which we like.

Appliances in Gary & Danielle’s kitchen can be found in the company’s Art Deco-style showroom:

Sub-Zero ICB648PROG Refrigerator/Freezer. Energy rated A+, 476L refrigerator capacity, 298L freezer with automatic ice-maker and water filter. Dual compressor system and triple evaporator.

Wolf ICBDF486G Dual Fuel Range with griddle/teppanyaki. 61L & 111L capacity, self-cleaning ovens ovens. Dual convection oven with 10 cooking modes, 3 x 4.8kW dual stacked sealed burners with true simmer feature and 1 x 2.7kW dual stacked sealed burner with true melt feature.

Wolf ICBPW482418 Pro Wall Hood. Heavy duty stainless steel, internal or remote blower options, adjustable lighting.

Sub-Zero ICB424G/S/PH Wine Storage X 2. Two temperature zone 4-18C, 46 bottle storage, dual evaporators for ideal humidity, UV resistant glass door, insulated compressor to avoid unsettling sediment.