TV breakfast champions Shivi Ramoutar and Jimmy Doherty are on a mission to educate in the kitchen

As a former MasterChef contestant whose Caribbean roots flow through her cooking, you might imagine every meal Shivi Ramoutar serves up to her kids is exotic and new. Like the rest of us, however, that is not the reality she wants to pass down.

“My kids need to understand about food waste,” says Shivi.

“Even yesterday, much to their disappointment, I made a lentil and sausage casserole using loads of leftovers, then we had it again for lunch today. One of them complained we were having it again, but I explained that if we didn’t it would be thrown out.

“It is really important for this young generation to change the way we are thinking about food. We are lucky now to have the information and we have to pass that on, because they are the ones who will have the burden of addressing the shift of what has been happening in our planet.”

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This is also a frequent conversation in Jimmy Doherty’s household, especially since that household is on a working farm.

“Every Sunday, we finish our Sunday lunch and it all goes into a stockpot to be turned into a soup or risotto,” says Jimmy.

“You can’t afford to waste things, and yet we have to teach sustainability in a way that is engaging and fun. As soon as it is seen as a task or laborious, it’s a losing battle. We are dealing with young generations who want immediate gratification, so if it is done in the right way, like asking them to make bread or a bug hotel outside, it becomes a fascinating journey.”

The pair agree that parents are often too protective of their children, meaning youngsters don’t learn valuable lessons about where their food comes from.

“I am always clear about the provenance of everything the kids eat,” says Shivi.

“They need to know that their chicken burger comes from a chicken, I am not going to hide that from them – though I am also not going to show them all the gory details of how it becomes a burger. When the kids were off for the holidays, I got my nine-year-old and five-year-old to make breakfast. The amount of pride they felt was amazing.

“We have lost so much in terms of giving our children things to do, we are so overprotective, but it is OK for children to use a knife or the hob, you just have to teach them to do it properly. These are chances to let them grow.”

Jimmy agrees. “There is a lot to be said for giving kids responsibility,” he says. “My eldest daughter has five or six chickens that are her responsibility. Every morning, she gets up and takes the food waste out to them, she cleans them out. She knows they have to eat before she does. Then she can eat the eggs, which is all part of it.”

Food provenance and sustainability are at the heart of the pair’s show, Jimmy and Shivi’s Farmhouse Breakfast, even though they may be hidden within the fun. After all, it’s likely the only place you can expect to find a drag queen, a Strictly pro trying his hand at Morris dancing and a presenter being slapped in the face by a lemur – all within the space of an hour.

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Dancing and lemurs aside, Jimmy and Shivi’s Farmhouse Breakfast always revolves around a delicious breakfast or brunch dish, served up to guests by Shivi. She said her Caribbean background is prominent in the way she cooks. “I can’t shake the Caribbean, I tried for many years when I was a teenager and it didn’t work.

“My cooking has changed to be simple family fare, but still with big bold flavours. With the recipes I prepare on the show, I want to give world flavours and excitement for the weekend, but keep things easily attainable. I am not asking you to buy the most expensive ingredients – most of it is store cupboard staples. We are celebrating different world cuisines and there is always a little nod to the tropical.”

Though the flavours Shivi showcases are often exotic, the series aims to highlight the importance of supporting local producers. The pair agree this is something more and more people are interested in.

“I used to do six farmers’ markets every week some 15 years ago, but now supermarkets have a local aisle and you have named breeds of farm animals when it comes to buying meat,” says Jimmy.

“People are interested and they want to get back to grassroots. We don’t want to be coming down on people, but the show is about sustainability, food waste and appreciating the countryside and rural crafts.”

Shivi adds: “I think the provenance of food has come to the forefront as we are more aware of what we are putting in our bodies. I was lucky to go and visit some local producers for the show, and aside from the fact it is local and you know the provenance of it, just looking at somebody talking about what they are doing with such passion, you can’t help but be infected by that.

“Sometimes during an episode we focus on a specific ingredient, but it is all accessible and affordable; we are not being preachy. Frozen peas, for example, are a superfood, they are better than fresh. I love freezer food and I celebrate it – I use frozen peas for a guacamole instead of an avocado, for example, making it a great way to eat local.”

Jimmy and Shivi’s lives couldn’t look much different as they sit down to talk about the second season of their Saturday morning TV show. Jimmy wears shorts as he sits on a balcony in Sri Lanka, where he is visiting a turtle sanctuary. Self-confessed London “city girl” Shivi is in the throes of potty training her daughter, who is determined to get in on the conversation.

But it’s this coming together of two worlds that makes the show so watchable – proven by the fact it is back on ITV for a second series, double the length of the first one.

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“I’ve got my farm in Suffolk and there are all these amazing producers around me, then Shivi has experience of bringing a whole lot of different flavours together and being very cosmopolitan in her cooking,” says Jimmy. He and his wife restored a farm into a thriving livestock concern back in the early 2000s, which has since expanded to include a wildlife park, housing and rescuing everything from crocodiles to polar bears.

“It’s about how we make the countryside contemporary. The first series was us dipping a toe in the water. We hadn’t met before so needed to see how our personalities worked together, but we got on immediately. If anyone remembers the crazy Saturday morning show Tiswas, it has a bit of that. There’s a lot of spontaneity about it.”

Shivi adds: “We’ve got a similar, slightly cheeky sense of humour. When you are making cocktails and chatting to guests, it feels like a little bit of a party. As a city girl, I have learned so much from Jimmy. It’s been a real eye-opener and wonderful to learn from him as a font of knowledge on animals and farm life. I enjoy that it takes me out of my comfort zone.”

Lots of monkey business

While Shivi cooks up a storm and ensures guests have a cocktail in hand, Jimmy has a whole host of animal co-stars ready to educate and entertain.

The animals don’t always do as they are told on camera, however.

“I find that as soon as you point a camera at the animals, they are a nightmare,” says Jimmy.

“Monkeys are so adept at undoing everything you have planned.

“We were doing a piece with them and we let two of the females come out with the cameramen before we released the whole troop.

“One of them took a real shine to one of the cameramen’s legs and would not leave him alone.

“With the polar bears, we built them a big raft and put a GoPro on it, thinking they would be so taken by the amazing raft we had built them that they would ignore the camera and we would get some great shots.

“But they pulled it out of the water, got hold of the camera and threw it straight into the lake.”

Shivi says: “They do say don’t work with animals or children. However, I think my highlight from season one was being slapped by a lemur. That was certainly one of my closest wildlife encounters.”

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Jimmy and Shivi’s Farmhouse Breakfast is on STV and ITV at 8.25am on Saturdays