Top chefs reveal their guilty-pleasure snacks — from tinned sardines to KFC buckets

# What this story delivers Nine well-known chefs and food creators answer a single, relatable question: what's your guilty pleasure when you're off duty? The answers are straightforward and human — not haute cuisine, but small, immediate pleasures. The list includes chocolate, crisps, tinned fish, fast-food milkshakes and a ceremonial KFC bucket.

# Who said what

• Yotam Ottolenghi: obsessed with chocolate, both dark and milk, and brings back different kinds wherever he goes. He notes his children often help themselves to the best ones.

• Poppy O'Toole: currently favouring tinned sardines in various sauces. She contrasts this with her previous preference for tinned mackerel and mentions practical downsides — staining white T-shirts when opening tins.

• Alasdair Gill: admits to liking "tacky" chocolate bars such as Lion Bar, Snickers, Picnic, Star Bar and Boost.

• Clare Smyth: reaches for crisps, particularly salt and vinegar, but says she'll eat any flavour and even novelty flavours like "flaming grilled steak" or Monster Munch.

• Andrej Urosevic (AndrejCooksFish): describes buying a 24-piece KFC family bucket twice a year, going home, sitting in the shower and eating it — a rare and emotional indulgence.

• Donna Hay: prefers ice-based desserts such as mixed granitas (lime, pineapple and lime, mango) served with cream or whipped coconut cream.

• Nigel Ng (Uncle Roger): confesses to sometimes using olive oil for Asian cooking at home when higher smoke-point oils aren't available and turning the label away on camera.

# Patterns and practical takeaways

• Comfort over complexity: the listed items are quick, familiar, and often store-bought or takeout. These are treats you can consume without prep or ceremony.

• Salty vs sweet split: several chefs prefer intensely salty snacks (crisps, Doritos, KFC), while others choose sweet options (chocolate, milkshakes, granita with cream). That split can guide what to stock when you want a no-fuss treat.

• Occasional, ritualised consumption: some treats are everyday (chocolate, crisps), others are deliberate rare events (a twice-yearly KFC bucket, a special Five Guys shake). Treat frequency matters to how it feels indulgent.

# What this tells you about chefs These confessions show chefs are as susceptible as anyone to simple cravings. Their choices reflect convenience, nostalgia, and flavour intensity rather than culinary prestige. If you expect celebrity chefs to always eat like they cook when working, these responses counter that expectation with very ordinary pleasures.

# Short, actionable ideas

• If you want a quick, chef-approved comfort snack: buy a small packet of your favourite crisps or a single chocolate bar to avoid overindulging.
• For a rare treat that feels special, pick one ritual (a milkshake or a bucket-style takeout) and limit it to an occasional date so it stays satisfying.

# Representative quotes