Clare Smyth's My London: Shopping at Harvey Nicks, driving Ferraris and martinis at the Connaught

Home is…

Wandsworth, where I’ve been for the past nine or 10 years, but I’ve always lived nearby. I love the space, all the green.

Where do you stay in London?

I love Claridge’s and the Connaught; I love the history. There’s always a lovely, homely feeling about those places and so much character.

Where was your first flat in London?

I lived in a bedsit in West Kensington. I could open the fridge from my single bed.

What was your first job?

I worked at Bibendum in South Kensington under Simon Hopkinson when I was about 17. I started out as a commis chef. It was an absolutely brilliant place to work, I loved it.

Where would you recommend for a first date?

Josephine or Scott’s — I really love Scott’s, I go there all the time. I love places with that buzzy atmosphere, where it’s not too formal and the menus are open and approachable to everyone.

Which shops do you rely on?

I really love clothes, I’m terrible with shopping — typical woman, I think. My favourite boutique is Erdem, I’m there all the time. But I also love Harvey Nicks, I find it’s a really great store for everything, including food. I do most of my shopping there, in the personal shopping department, because I have so little time and it all gets done in one hit. I’m a big fan of lots of British designers as well — Stella McCartney, Victoria Beckham, Joseph — and of Lululemon, too, because I do a lot of training; it’s what I wear every morning.

What’s the best meal you’ve had in London?

This is a very personal one for me, especially as a chef. It would be a meal I had at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, about three years after I had finished working there. I took my husband. I’d never eaten there in all those years. Tasting those classic dishes, having not made them in so long and seeing the service in that room … the restaurant has so many memories for me.

What would you do if you were Mayor for a day?

I would throw a big party. I do the Big Cook Off, which was started by a police officer after the Grenfell fire. He brought the community together for a huge barbecue and we still do it, with teams from the police, the council, the fire brigade, the ambulance service, local chefs. It’s so nice to see people getting to know each other. And I feel like we all need so much more of that, to come together over food, to understand different communities.

Who is the most iconic Londoner?

It’s got to be Queen Elizabeth II. I absolutely adored her. She was such an amazing ambassador for the country.

What’s the best thing a cabbie has ever said to you?

The best thing is when they tell me they’ve picked up someone from my restaurant — when it’s a good story. Cabbies probably know more about restaurants than anyone else — they speak to all the guests about how it was.

Where do you let your hair down?

Generally it’s eating out, I just love bars and restaurants. I love a martini, so the Connaught Bar is my favourite bar. And I love places like A Wong or Gymkhana, because they have a different style of food to mine.