Celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott has received his MBE from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.
The TV presenter said the honour, for services to broadcasting and to the culinary arts, was “very special”.
The 63-year-old has been offering cooking tips on the TV for almost 30 years on show like Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook, and Ready Steady Cook.
It came in the week that Ready Steady Cook returned after a decade away, with Rylan Clark-Neal taking over as host.
“As a presenter I like what he does,” Harriott said of his successor. “I think he engages with people. He’s very warm, he’s got a relaxed style, so I’m sure that’s going to work.”
Harriott said he would continue with a career built on making cookery more accessible to the public.
“I think it’s kind of bringing food to people who perhaps a little bit shied away from it, [were] a little bit embarrassed about it,” he said.
“What I’ve tried to do over the years is to kind of open the door to say ‘It’s a meal, it’s OK, don’t panic, don’t get worked up about it’.”
Harriott was recognised alongside actress Maureen Beattie OBE and The Priests, a trio of singing clergymen, who were also given MBEs.
England netball captain Serena Guthrie was given the same honour, while trainer Nicky Henderson was made an OBE for services to horse racing.
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