Celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge opens up on joining Better Homes and Gardens

Celebrity restaurateur Colin Fassnidge has gone from running a soup kitchen from the back of the car when jobs dried up during Covid to becoming one of Australia’s busiest TV cooks.

During Covid, Colin Fassnidge’s restaurants closed, his shows were pulled and he was running a soup kitchen from the back of his car. Fast forward a year and a half, and he’s got five shows under his chef’s hat – including joining Seven’s Better Homes and Gardens as the long-running show’s new chef.

“It keeps me out of trouble,” the Irish-born chef tells Insider after filming Better Homes, on his way to the airport to fly to Mongolia to shoot another show.

“And I have a patient wife,” he laughs.

“I was only saying the other day, I worked for Channel 7 and then when Covid happened, there were no shows so they let me go, my restaurants were closed and I was running a soup kitchen out of the back of my car.

“Now I’m doing five shows in a year – so I’m pretty grateful.

Colin Fassnidge has joined Johanna Griggs on Better Homes and Gardens. Picture: Jeremy Greive

“I feel like I do have a good work ethic, and I think the stuff we did on social media over the last few years which was funny, and because of the cost of living, people are really struggling at the minute, so it feels like cooking resonates with people.”

As well as replacing Fast Ed – who has been the resident chef on Better Homes for the past 20 years – Fassnidge will continue his judging role on MKR, managing his restaurant The Castlereagh by Fassnidge, filming new TV series Food Diary in Mongolia, and launching his own beef jerky range.

Manu Feildel guest judge Nigella Lawson and Clin Fassnidge on MKR last year. Picture: Seven

“It was a bit daunting at the start,” he admits, about joining Better Homes. “Because I’ve been in Australia for 25 years and the show’s been on air for 30 years – so I’ve seen it every year since I’ve been here.

“And I’m on TV, but then you meet people who are on TV sometimes that you watch all the time and you’re like, ‘Oh wow’ – like I had lunch with Dr Harry today.

“I knew Charlie already, I knew Jo, so it’s fine and they welcomed me in.

“We’ve done a few shoots now and I was just a bit nervous for the first one, but now I’m well and truly in, and apparently I’m very cheeky.

“I think it’s like every show – you need to tweak it a little bit every year or change something, but I think they just let me in and I can do what I want.

“I’m not really someone you can script, because I’m not very good at scripts.”

Colin Fassnidge’s role in Better Homes and Gardens happened by accident. Picture: Jeremy Greivee

And while the show feels like a good fit, it all happened by accident, he admits.

“I was doing some press for Channel 7, and I was in the lift with the PR guy, and there was an ad for Better Homes – and I said to him, ‘I could do that show. I’d be really good on that’. I was bit of cocky – and next thing I know, I got a phone call – so be very careful what you say in the lift,” he laughs.

“When I came on I was like, well I’m not Ed and Ed’s not me – I want to be me, so I bring my own brand.

“If you ever watch my Instagram or TikToks – it’s like that, but no swearing.”

And while a studio – or a Mongolian backdrop – may be worlds away from a hot, busy kitchen in commercial restaurants, this is exactly where he was meant to be.

Colin Fassnidge with his “patient” wife Jane. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“I’m 50 now – and at 50, you should not be standing in a kitchen doing all those hours at my age – it’s a young guy’s game,” he says.

“I knew I would be okay on TV, but it wasn’t my plan.

“My plan was just to reach the heights of top restaurants, which I did, so that’s how I sort of got recognised – and then TV was a challenge because I wasn’t very good at the start.

“And I think being told that you’re not very good, spurred me on to prove them wrong.

“It’s like what I say to my kids – take something you’re not good at, and try and conquer it.”

So how do almost teenagers Lily and Maeve feel about having a famous dad?

“They could not give a shit,” he laughs.

Colin Fassnidge at one of his restaurants. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone

“When the ad for MKR comes on, my kids see it and walk by and they don’t even flinch – and I go ‘that’s the ad’, They’re like who cares?”

“I had a bit of a health scare this year, it wasn’t what it turned out to be, but it was two weeks before I went in for an operation and I was like ‘f--k, if it all ended tomorrow, you’ve had a good run’.

“And then when it turned out to be okay, you’re like ‘well, let’s just go hell for leather and enjoy it even more’.

“I said to Manu this year when we filmed MKR – which was the ratings winner, we beat the Block – put that in there,” he laughs.

“I said to Manu, ‘we might not be working next year, so let’s just have the best season ever’ – and I think that’s why it went so well.

“Because we just had a ball.”

After filming in Mongolia and Christmas with the family, Fassnidge has taken January off before shooting Better Homes in February and March.

Then he’ll be on the road for three months with MKR, and then he’s off to Laos for a second season of Food Diary, and then he’s off to shoot Off the Grid in New Zealand, which is him and Manu in a caravan.

“That’s five shows in a year – I think that’s enough,” he laughs.

“I do love my job – and sometimes you’ve got to realise how lucky you are.

“Some people on TV take it for granted, but I don’t.”

Colin Fassnidge’s first episode of Better Homes and Gardens airs on Friday, February 2, on Channel 7 and 7plus