Sunday with Fred Sirieix: ‘You'll find me sipping cocktails’

[Mohamed Nasser]

The presenter of First Dates on his mother’s rabbit recipe, keeping fit and relaxing in a Turkish bath

What’s your Sunday morning routine? My alarm goes off at 7.30am, my daughter needs to be at the swimming pool by 8am. She wants to dive in the Olympics, which means 25 hours of training a week.

Do you work out, too? I help my daughter keep fit and that keeps me motivated. I love to box, so I’ll spend Sunday mornings at the gym, or training in my living room and also at the park.

Breakfast or brunch? Usually neither, I’ll wait for lunch at 2pm. I love to go to my own restaurant for champagne and the beautiful roast chicken for two, or you’ll find me eating and sipping cocktails at Coal Rooms in Peckham, or with an ale at Pedler – being where everyone is treated like a friend.

What’s on the radio? Always Vibes FM – old-school reggae, Trojan Records. There’s nothing more relaxing, the music takes you to a different world.

What were Sundays like as a kid? There was always a crowd at our family home in Limoges, France. Sometimes we had small dinner parties, on other days there’d be 60 or more. The house was always open, and Mum is a wonderful cook, so the house was full of people and conversation – it shaped me.

Do you work? Sometimes, if there’s an event or guests who I need to see. I don’t mind, though, my life is 24/7, 365 days a year. I love what I do, so I’m enjoying myself every day. I just switch off whenever the time arises. My week is a circle, it never ends.

What’s cooking? My mum’s rabbit with mustard sauce. Fry shallots in butter and add the rabbit to the pan slathered in Dijon mustard to brown. Pour in a little water; gently simmer before adding crème fraîche at the end. It never fails to please.

A Sunday evening treat? There’s a lovely Turkish baths I head to on a Sunday evening when I can. That’s time for me. Then I’ll eat Chinese food – Royal China Baker Street is my favourite. And I’m in bed by 11pm, playing on my phone until I fall asleep. That’s perfection.

First Dates Hotel is at 9pm on Thursdays on Channel 4