It’s skate for supper: Dermot O’Leary’s catch of the day

When the radio and TV presenter Dermot O’Leary announced that he was opening a fish restaurant in Brighton two years ago, it was met with disbelief. Could it be true that the X Factor host was swapping the showbiz limelight for a life in the kitchen?

Of course it wasn’t — and, to be fair, no one had ever suggested that he would be the one battering the fish. But equally he was more than just a sleeping partner in his friends’ vision. O’Leary turns out to be quite the fisherman, with an abiding love for all that the oceans provide. “I get butterflies as I descend the steps to find the usual chaos of a kitchen in the middle of service,” he says. “I’m always fascinated to see what magic Loz [the chef] and his staff have worked on the day’s catch. We have an incredible larder on our doorstep.”