Phillip Castleton
After a huge year that’s seen them film not one but two seasons of MKR New Zealand, not to mention the Aussie series, celebrity chefs and best friends Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge are looking forward to winding down over the summer holidays.
But even though they spend a great part of the calendar year working together – eight months to be exact! – they’re still planning to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year with each other at their annual Christmas lunch.
“We’ve done it for the last five or six years,” Manu tells Woman’s Day, noting that it’s Colin’s turn to come over to his place this year. “There’ll be great food, obviously. And it’ll be fun and mischievous.”
Colin adds, “Colin plus Manu plus Christmas festive spirit and sunscreen – it’s anything but tame!”
But what do you take over to a world-renowned chef’s house for lunch? “Last year, I took a trifle and he gave me grief,” laughs Colin. “The French apparently don’t like trifles, so this year, I’m taking pavlova.”
Despite working with each other most of the year, the great mates love hanging out.
Besides the laughs and truckloads of food, Manu admits there’ll be plenty of “good wine” on offer. Colin says he’s looking forward to digging into Manu’s famous beef Wellington the most, which sounds like a compliment at first – until the hysterical laughter swiftly follows.
“Yeah, that’s a bit of a joke,” Colin adds.
Manu explains, “A couple of years ago, I was hosting Christmas and I invited Colin’s family. I was about to put the Wellington in the oven and Colin comes running over to me. Apparently, it wasn’t right.”
Colin jibes, “You were also sleeping on the couch while we ate!”
The pair’s playfulness is testament to just how far the blokes, both 50, have come over the years. In fact, they “hated” one another when they first were introduced, but now they’re inseparable.
Snap! Caught you having a sneak peek, Manu.
“We’re like a married couple,” says Colin. “We spent six weeks together in New Zealand, basically living together, then when we got to the airport, we said, ‘Let’s not chat for a week, like have a little bit of space – it’s not you, it’s me!’ But by the end of the week, we were ringing each other.”
After the holidays, the boys will go straight back on the road for another season of MKR Australia and they’re already excited about what surprises they might face.
“We want to see real passion, people’s stories and love on a plate,” says Colin. Manu adds, “I’d really like to see someone who loves putting a smile on people’s faces.”
