Last updated at 9:26 PM on 4th January 2012
Imelda Staunton: The magic ingredients that make my shepherd's pie irresistible
Master chef: Actress Imelda Staunton
SIGNATURE DISH
As a family we're big on comfort food, and my specialty is shepherd's pie, which is done to an old Delia Smith recipe. I was vegetarian for almost 20 years until a few years back when a better selection of organic meat became available.
The thing that makes my shepherd's pie really special is that I add a bit of nutmeg and cinnamon. You don't really taste them in the final result, but it makes the overall dish irresistible.
PAMPERING TREATSI love everything about Aromatherapy Associates' natural body and skincare range because the founders have a solid background and really know what they're talking about.
My favourite is the sensational bath oil, which I probably use too often because it's so luxurious, but I justify it by saying I only have a small bath because I'm short!
HOBBYBoth Jim and I are avid gardeners (he is head gardener and I am his assistant) and we take a lot of pleasure from seeing our garden flourish. Only torrential rain will keep us inside.
Eighteen years ago we moved to our house in North London which has a big garden. We tried vegetables and herbs but they didn't really work, so now the whole of it is given over to flowers and I love taking cuttings from them for the house.
Comfort food: Imelda adds nutmeg and cinnamon to her shepherd's pies
WINTER WARMER
I'm not a big drinker, but in the winter I do like a sherry with a lump of ice in it. Just the smell of it reminds me of the holidays. I'm an absolutely philistine when it comes to good wines and alcohol. I don't like a particularly sweet sherry or one that's too dry - a medium one is good for me.
BEAUTY ESSENTIAL
Vaseline is my can't-live-without beauty product and it just goes to show you don't have to spend a mint to get something that delivers.
It has so many uses, from softening cuticles to soothing chapped skin, and it makes a great scrub.
LITERARY LOVEI first read Wild Swans by Jung Chang about 20 years ago and it's a firm favourite. I knew nothing about 'modern' Communism beforehand, and it eloquently shows what it was like through three generations of women: granny, daughter and granddaughter.
It masterfully combines important historical events like the Cultural Revolution with the personal emotions and struggles of the main characters. I return to it often.
EPIC MOMENT
Over the millennium, my husband Jim, our daughter Bessie and I went to Hemingways’ wonderful hotel at Watamu in Kenya, for a fortnight.
On New Year’s Eve we had a fantastic night with food and dancing by the beach. At about 1.30am, Jim said he was off to bed and Bessie was already asleep.
There was no way I was going to miss the dawn rise on the next 1,000 years, so sat on the beach in my posh frock, watching the sun come up. It was breathtaking.
Paradise: Hemingways' hotel at Watamu in Kenya
Last year I was starring in Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd at Chichester Festival Theatre for several months. I used to love going down to the beach at West Wittering looking to East Head, at the entrance to the harbour. It was very early in the morning so there were few people about - it felt like it was just me and my wee Cairn terrier cross, Molly.
I was born a Londoner and have never wanted to live anywhere else, but the beauty of that West Sussex area, with the white sand and blue sea, really tempted me.
SCREEN SIREN
I remember watching Bette Davis as a child and I thought she was fascinating. Of course, there were lots of beautiful actresses around at the time, such as Elizabeth Taylor, but Bette Davis wasn't conventionally beautiful and neither was she conventional.
She played feisty characters, and it was her talent that made her so successful. I wanted to emulate her when I grew up.
Heroine: Actress Bette Davis was Imelda's idol growing up
TV FIX
I watched Frozen Planet religiously every week it was on. There's something comforting about David Attenborough because he's dependable and tells it like it is, emphasising content and expertise rather than showmanship, sensationalism and entertainment like a lot of factual programmes do these days. The years of dedication he puts into his programmes is incredible.
Imelda Staunton is a patron of Richard House, London's oldest children's hospice. To donate or find out more, visit richardhouse.org.uk and facebook.com/richardhousech
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