Author of over 20 cookbooks, appearances in over 20 films and lover of all good food, 80-year-old Madhur Jaffrey shows no sign of slowing down.

With a new cookbook due for release next year and the release of new movie Jadoo, we catch up with the charming culinary icon all the way from New York.

You look phenomenal in the movie Jadoo. What is the secret to your youthful appearance?.

You’re very kind! I think I look my age. They must have done something with the camera! But I do watch what I eat. I also grow my own vegetables and I don’t eat too much red meat. I am careful about exercise too.

In the movie, the brothers Jagi and Raja learnt to cook from their mother. Who taught you how to cook?.

Well nobody actually! The funny thing is that back in India we use to have cooks cooking for us at home.

My mother would only cook a special dish very occasionally. I used to go into the kitchen as a little girl and watch the cooks at work.

I learnt to cook when I moved to England. It was out of desperation! I was confronted with a situation where there was no food that I liked!.

I was such an ignoramus that I couldn’t even boil rice. I used to write letters to my mother to ask for recipes. I think that is why my recipe books appeal to so many people. I go into so much detail because I too had to learn from scratch.

You are known as the woman who taught the British how to make curry. What do you think about the new genre of celebrity chefs who are more renowned for being outspoken?.

Well I have no sympathy for people who lose their cool. That is not the way to reach out to people. But I do adore Jamie Oliver. I think he’s absolutely wonderful. His food is lovely. And I appreciate the fact that he is trying earnestly to do the right thing.

Would you ever go out for an Indian meal?.

Only if someone cooked non restaurant food! Indian restaurants have become so generalised.

The strength of Indian food comes from the home. My books are all home cooked recipes. I love going into people’s homes and having a simple aloo gobi or one dahl dish. It’s so much better than restaurant food. I ate a lot like that when I was filming in Leicester.

You, of course, have a background in acting. Can we hope to see more cameo roles from you in the future?.

I certainly hope so! Shooting Jadoo was wonderful. I enjoyed my few days in Leicester. I adore the producer and director. Leicester was definitely an eye opener for me. It was so revealing. And there is definitely an Indian aroma and culture in the city.

Do you ever label your spices?.

I’ll tell you a funny story. I have been cooking for my family for years. But my husband never cooked because I never labelled the spices.

Once when I went away, my daughter decided to put labels on all the spices. So now my husband will cook, but only if I am away. He has mastered two Indian dishes, Keema and Dahl. So I know he can survive!

All my daughters cook. I never actually taught them. They just learnt from being around.

What is an average day like for you?.

There is no average day for me. I am on my way to Gibraltar shortly. Right now I am finishing off an Indian vegetarian cookbook.

So you can imagine, I am breathing, sleeping and dreaming about this book! I am testing everything at the moment. And I don’t get any help as I don’t trust anybody else. I have done all my travels for this book, so currently I am chopping, cooking, cleaning and then writing up my work on the computer. This new cookbook should be out next Autumn.