Si King launches first solo cookbook Proper Home Cooking after Dave Myers's death

Si King has launched his first solo cookbook, Proper Home Cooking, following the death of his Hairy Bikers co-host Dave Myers. The book is a collection of hearty homemade food and simple recipes. One example is a frying pan pizza, made by putting a particular dough into a frying pan, adding toppings and finishing it under the grill.

King described the book as a love letter to the food culture he shares with family and friends. He said he was inspired by a visit to a busy family household and by his grandchildren, Ada and George. He said their parents, Alex and Lauren, did not want to feed them ultra-processed foods and had the financial choice to avoid them. After 42 years in kitchens, he wanted to gather his tips and tricks to show how people can cook from scratch.

He said the recipes are for real people living real lives with real budgeting problems. He rejected the idea that he was telling people what to eat or judging them. King said he had been skint earlier in his career and had fed his children whatever was available to get through. The book, he said, offers an alternative for people who have a choice, while those who do not should just get food over the line.

The interview covered how he found writing without Myers. King said he missed their conversations and phone calls. Myers loved writing cookbooks and was very good at it, he said. Earlier books had been balanced between the two of them. This time, King said, he had only himself to think about, which was an adjustment and odd, but also cathartic in some ways.

King also remembered the rhythm and laughter of cooking with Myers. He said the pair made 30 TV series together, 33 cookbooks and sold six million copies. He also noted that he lost four stone during a diet series and put about half of it back on.

The cookbook's recipes can be dressed up or down, King said. The workday workhorses chapter is designed to take roughly 40 to 45 minutes. He also spoke about his pie business in Sunderland. He said it pays everybody above the living wage, offers profit share, sources ingredients from within a 60 mile radius and aims to be part of the city's culture and community. King described himself as a committed socialist and said the business had been embraced by Sunderland and the wider north east.