Andi Oliver: I refuse to get married

Andi Oliver is a woman who marches to the beat of her own drum, or perhaps writes her own recipe for life would be more accurate.

Having recently celebrated her 60th birthday she proudly told us her life motto – ‘If I don’t love it, I’m not going to do it.’

One thing she is absolutely certain about is not ever wanting is marriage. She may have been in a relationship with restauranteur Garfield Hackett for many years, but it’s simply not on her to-do list.

‘I refuse to get married,’ she firmly told Metro.co.uk.

‘I would not be happy to get married. I can’t be bothered. It’s a massive long ting with loads of annoyance.

‘My friends can buy their own dinner. I’m not going to buy dinner for 300 people. People say to me: “But you’d get to wear a fabulous dress.”

‘I wear fabulous dresses every day anyway. If I want to wear a frock with a 10ft train on a normal day then I will just do it.’

Andi has no desire to get married (Picture: Getty)

We definitely believe her – our chat is over Zoom and Andi has chosen a multi-coloured dress and black glasses with a glistening golden chain that matches the jewellery adorning her neck. She’s certainly putting our WHF uniform to shame.

One occasion she was happy to go all out for though was her recent birthday last month, with Garfield putting on a mini festival called ‘Andi-stock’ in her honour.

Her thoughtful partner rented a house in Surrey for three days. The ‘dream weekend’ was attended by around 200 people, and despite being gifted lots of ‘swag’, the best present for her was spending time with loved ones.

The milestone birthday left Andi feeling reflective, and she tells us that she’s never been happier.

‘I just feel more and more grateful. There are only two options – you get older or you die. I want to live. I’m moving forward, and I’m feeling myself.

‘The more I understand myself, the more excited I am about the world and humanity,’ the optimistic TV personality told us.

Her family and friends are baffled by her seemingly unlimited amount of energy, so much so that when she recently proclaimed she was feeling a little tired they celebrated. But Andi doesn’t have any plans to retire any time soon.

‘I am consistently inspired and excited about getting up each day and going to work,’ she enthusiastically told us.

‘I get to do so many things that I love. I’ve got my cookbook out – The Pepperpot Diaries: Stories From My Caribbean Table, which was such a joy, a podcast with my daughter [Miquita Oliver] – Stirring it Up – which is a brilliant thing to do, I’m filming a new series for BBC Two, and I’m doing some Pub in the Parks [a touring food and music festival] as well. That’s four massive things at the same time, but it’s amazing. 

Andi dressed exquisitely for our interview

‘Not everybody gets to pursue the paths that made them really happy, so I’m really great.’

Don’t get confused though, after four decades in the showbiz industry which began with the BBC2 sitcom The Young Ones, she is also more than happy to say no when it’s not on her terms.

One non-negotiable stipulation is that she has to have a producer role in anything that she does on TV.

‘I’m not very good at other people telling me what to do,’ she explained of her rule.

‘I think if you’re a creative person, you need to be able to make your own creative decisions.

‘I don’t want to just do other people’s projects. I’m very much of my own mind. Myself and Miquita are creating autonomy for ourselves within the industry.

‘We need people of colour to be represented,’ she added.

‘We need people who are who have a broad way of thinking in positions of power in the creative industries to create more representation.

‘TV is very often not what life is like. Vision is a powerful tool and it’s a powerful mechanism. We should wield it carefully.’

Andi often works with her daughter Miquita (Credits: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

She heaps praise on a certain BBC Saturday night show – Strictly Come Dancing – for already doing that well.

‘The show celebrates a whole array of life.’ Though sadly, we won’t see her on it as she’s got a bad knee.

As an acclaimed chef, Andi also wants to see more representation in the culinary world: ‘There are many branches on the culinary tree, many branches of excellence and many ways to be brilliant.

‘Food from the Caribbean and Africa needs to be valued more. We have to value our own output.

‘We have to understand how brilliant our own food is, and hold it up in high regard.

‘Michelin stars are viewed through a French male lens. That’s okay but there’s other ways.’

Many cuisines are celebrated on The Great British Menu – a show where Andi has served as a judge since 2017, before moving on to host it in 2019, but what does Andi like to cook herself? ‘I like to barbecue. I barbecue my turkey on Christmas day.

‘I like creating lots of things. The kitchen is my calm place. It is my me time. It’s meditation. It’s my way of checking in with myself. It’s good for my mental health.’

Andi hosts Great British Menu (Credits: BBC/Optomen Television Limited/Ashleigh Brown)

It’s a skill she uses in her podcast Stirring it Up. In each episode, Andi whips up a meal for their celebrity guests which have included Lily Allen, Kathy Burke and Steve Jones, while Miquita is on drinks duty.

Of course, Miquita, 39, is a celebrity in her own right – she originally found fame as a presenter on Channel 4’s Popworld before moving on to T4. When she first started in the industry Miquita was only 15, which Andi admitted was difficult.

‘There was a time when she was presenting T4 On the Beach, and I couldn’t get to her,’ Andi recalled.

‘It was a really challenging moment because whilst I was excited and happy for her, she was only 15. It felt like a lot. 

‘It was nerve-wracking but also exciting. There was a duality to it all the time like most things in life. We had to have some serious conversations.’

Andi helped Miquita secure her first audition, as she knew a producer. She is refreshingly unashamed of the fact she could help her daughter get on the career ladder and rubbished criticism of nepo babies.

Andi is proud she could help her daughter (Picture: PA)

‘If she was rubbish she wouldn’t have got the job, it is really that simple. She smashed it and then they offered her the job.

‘I’ve worked hard to get to this point, I wasn’t born hosting the Great British Menu.

‘If me doing that means that my daughter can work really hard but can get access to an audition, then are you telling me other people wouldn’t do the same?

‘Knowing people might have got her through the door but it doesn’t get her in the chair and it doesn’t get her at the table. You have to have the talent to back it up.’

The pair have always shared a special bond, and continually lifted each other up throughout their careers.

‘I was only 20 when I had her so we grew up together. When I talk about her upbringing I always say “When we were little” because it does feel like that.

‘We have so much fun together now. Working alongside one another has taught us patience, and tolerance. We both respect each other’s professional acumen.’

Andi Oliver will be hosting Friday at Pub in the Park Chiswick. Tickets and further info available here

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It’s not on her to-do list.