Keri-Anne Payne was the first Briton to secure her place for 2012 by winning the world championship 10km open water swim last summer. She won silver in Beijing

"It's definitely possible to eat delicious food and be a professional athlete. I've always loved food so I'm not going to be obsessive because you can get what you need and still enjoy every bite. What's not to like about steak, which is perfect for replenishing muscles?

I'm not really one for endless protein shakes and energy drinks. Before a training session I'd rather have a banana. That's not to say I'm perfect – I've acquired the nickname 'desert cactus' because I hardly drink during training, which is something I need to work on. And I've made my mistakes. At the 2007 world championships I got my feeding strategy wrong – and I paid for it. For my sport it's what you eat two days before the competition that makes the difference – you have to carb load – and I didn't. Eating a pile of rice or pasta isn't as fun as it sounds and I didn't really know what I was doing back then. I was leading for a long way but I ended up 11th.

I speak to a nutritionist, but most of what I know about nutrition comes from Mum and Dad. They wanted all of us to be able to cook, so me, my brother and my sister would take it in turns to cook the family meal. At first I would serve up Weetabix, and when I went up to bed Mum and Dad would make a proper meal because they didn't want me to feel bad.

My biggest indulgence is pastry. And I love baking. My mum decorated wedding cakes when we were growing up so that's what ignited it. The only problem is finding people to bake for, because I can't eat it all myself – I need to stay buoyant! My Victoria sponges always go down well and I can make a pretty cool marmalade pudding. I train for 33 hours a week so in my time off I need to rest, and pottering around in the kitchen is perfect. I was addicted to The Great British Bake Off. I wouldn't be confident enough to go on it but I was glued to the screen. Swimming is my biggest passion but baking comes a close second.

One of my favourite dishes is Mum's cabbage lasagne. You'll have to trust me on this one but you substitute lasagne sheets for cabbage leaves and it honestly is one of the best meals in the world, so that would be my 2012 celebration meal."

Keri-Anne Payne is a Speedo sponsored ambassador