I'm away from home 10 months a year playing cricket - even when we play in England it will be out of London -which means I eat out most of the time. I hate ordering room service because I don't like sitting in a hotel room by myself- I get claustrophobic. So, the rare times when I am in London, pretty much my favourite thing to do is to have a night in, spent on the couch eating a delicious home-made lasagne or a simple takeaway.
If we do go out, it's always to Brinkley's. It's only five minutes from home, it's easy to get to, and it's cool - nice and relaxed. My life is on edge all the time and such a pressurised environment, so it's great to just sit here. Lots of famous people live around here, so you don't get bothered - that's why Jess [his wife is Jessica Taylor, the singer in Liberty X] and I love it. We come for a Sunday roast or during the week for a few glasses of wine. Occasionally we do like to fine-dine, but most of the time we are happy to sit somewhere chilled. The menu at Brinkley's is simple - I like the shepherd's pie, burgers and salads - and the portions are a good size so you don't leave wanting a McDonald's on your way home. I can eat whatever I want because I train so much but I don't know where Jess puts it: she eats the same as me. I love being with someone who has a huge appetite. It's very sexy.
Our first meal together was at Zuma [the Japanese restaurant in central London]. It was kind of a blind date - we both knew what the other looked like but we'd never met. I knew her manager and personal trainer so got hold of her number and asked if she fancied dinner. It's a high-risk strategy doing a first date in a restaurant because if it's not working out you're stuck, but I'd already been there millions of times, and thought I'd test her out and see if she could use chopsticks. She struggled with rice but didn't ask for a fork and got by. We've been inseparable ever since.
Our most romantic meal was the night I proposed. We were staying in a beautiful house in the country and I had organised a private dining room with rose petals on the table. I was so nervous that I necked nearly a bottle of champagne before dinner. When I began pacing up and down, Jess didn't think anything was odd because I am a fidgeter. Anyway, it worked - we're now married.
When I'm on tour, Jess often flies out and we go to some amazing places. People said at the Ashes series last year [where England lost 5-0] that families being there was a problem, which is absolute nonsense. We were abused from first thing in the morning to the minute you got back to the hotel by blokes saying, 'You had a shit day mate'. The best thing ever was to have my parents and Jess there: I could talk to people who love me and not just sit in my room.
I'm not a big drinker. If I go out I'll do it to get hammered but I don't like alcohol, I'm not keen on the taste. I like some wines - sauvignon blanc from Marlborough in New Zealand - but I can't stand beer. However, living in England has introduced me to a lot more ranges of food. In South Africa, where I grew up, you don't get Japanese and it's rare to get Indian or Mexican. You can get whatever you want in England, especially in London. I like Nobu, Hakkasan, Zuma and Tamarind, and we've been to the Ivy a few times. As long as there is plenty of meat I'm happy though - Jess's hotpot will do for me.
Brinkley's
47 Hollywood Road, London SW10, 020 7351 1683
History
Opened in 1979 with Antony Worrall Thompson as the first head chef. Initially more nouvelle cuisine, owner John Brinkley has built a chain of restaurants in London using the same blueprint of a simple, modern European menu.
Popular dishes
Burgers, shepherd's pie and roast Black Angus beef with all the trimmings on a Sunday. Also fresh fish, including roast halibut and dover sole. And the extensive brunch menu for weekends ingeniously doubles as a Sunday supper.
Who eats there
Prince Harry, Hugh Grant, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Uma Thurman, Michael Winner.
Open
Mon-Fri, 6pm-11pm
Sat-Sun, 12pm-10pm
