We never had a choice as children, we just ate what the adults ate and that's the ethos I've brought my kids up on. Now the mum-of-two from Lisburn, who is also a fully-qualified Chartered Accountant, is preparing for another milestone with the launch next week of her debut cookbook. Cantonese food is another string to that whole Chinese story. It's mainly Hong Kong so right by the seaside and there's seafood and other very fresh food." Suzie believes that “food is the glue that holds families together”, and encourages her own children, Zander, aged five, and two-year-old Odelia, to get involved in the kitchen.

After her mother died, Lee’s confidence in the kitchen grew – largely because she was forced to take on the cooking role, feeding her 15-year-old brother and seven-year-old cousin. To win and to have a Michelin-starred chef compliment my pastry and tell me I was a 'really good home cook' was a massive confidence booster.” While before her success in Best Home Cook Suzie had dreamt of saving for a “retirement plan” which involved opening a little coffee shop or catering company that enabled her to “potter around” with her love of cooking. Simply Chinese is a sumptuous collection of classic and modern Chinese home-style recipes that can be made, with ease, in your own home kitchens. Lee is still an accountant by trade. “If you ever meet me,” she says, “I will always say I’m an accountant who cooks, because that’s my day-to-day job. I’m still a chartered accountant, I still have my accountancy business – that’s what brings in the money. The other stuff, as much as it seems really glossy, it doesn’t pay the bills.”

Veggie Singapore noodles

I have to laugh about it because the turkey was huge and there I was in the middle of it. The thing weighed about 30lbs, and I remember thinking to myself, 'I can do this, I can do this'. Twenty years later, after having completed a degree in Economics and Management from Queen’s University Belfast and later completing her Chartered Accountancy exams, Suzie followed her passion for cooking in applying for and winning the BBC prime time show Best Home Cook. I had to really dig deep in the memories and discover the history behind the recipes. I found it quite cathartic," adds Suzie, whose favourite recipes include seafood crispy noodles, Grandad's special steak and her mum's char siu, green bean and egg hash. I just think people have lost their confidence with cooking. The rising level of obesity is all driven by convenience foods, but making good food that is healthy is really not that difficult.” Sometimes when you open a cookbook, as much as a recipe looks beautiful, there's 100 ingredients and you feel that you won't be able to make that. It's also pared down to food that my kids enjoy too so it's not difficult at all." Since winning Best Home Cook in 2020 Suzie has presented two cooking shows on BBC NI (Image: BBC NI )

Her mum worked 14 hour shifts so no wonder she didn’t want to slave over a hot stove for another day but Suzie asked her to show her how to do it. She loved food and was so passionate about cooking," says Suzie about her mother, who passed away suddenly when she was just 16.Suzie Lee’s Home Cook Heroes begins on August 6 at 7.30pm on BBC One Northern Ireland, also available on BBC iPlayer. For accompanying recipes visit Bbc.co.uk/suzielee They love being in the kitchen with me cooking, eating and communicating through food," adds Suzie, who continues to juggle her new-found career as a 'celebrity chef', with her own accountancy business. Cantonese cooking is all about playing around with simple and fresh ingredients. It's about making use of all those flavours and letting the dish do its thing. It's not as complicated as people think - everyone should give it a try," she enthuses. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan (skillet) over a high heat. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and fry for a few minutes until fragrant, being careful to prevent the vegetables

That meant it was something completely new in terms of challenging my brain and I'm really happy with the end result - it has exceeded all my expectations." Suzie first shot to fame after winning BBC national cookery competition, Best Home Cook (Image: BBC ) For Suzie Lee, food and Chinese home cooking has always been personal - in Chinese culture, food and family are intertwined. Suzie strives to capture and recreate those cooking traditions she shared with her late mother, her inspiration. While she isn’t giving up her day job of accountancy, just yet, Suzie admits the programme has “given me a different outlook to what might be in the future”.Having been brought up eating all kinds of seafood and even tripe, Suzie was keen to encourage her own children, Zander (7) and Odelia (4), to be healthy and adventurous eaters. You think 'oh wow I've produced this' and as much as it's lovely and beautiful, you wish she was here to share it."

In her teens, when her sisters had left for university, Suzie enjoyed the treat of going to cafés with her mum to sample new foods and then trying to recreate them at home. The book is aimed at the home cook, with the majority of ingredients available from your local shop or supermarket.

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She wasn’t one for gushing and telling us everything was amazing, but she’d really helped me to dig deep and make that big meal for the family. It was the last time we were all together as a family in that way.” Read More Related Articles Ever since my mum passed away I do live my life to the full, and with no regrets, because you don't know what might happen tomorrow," Suzie says. I’m staring at Angela Hartnett and Mary Berry’s cookbook in my kitchen right now. These are people that I really respect and whose recipes I use, so it was really nice to meet them in person and learn from them. It’s all about making use of all of those flavours – the sweet, the sharp, but also the fresh – and playing with those. I find there’s a much cleaner taste, compared to if you’re going to the north of China. Szechuan cooking is really obviously about spice, everything’s all very heavily spiced. That’s their culture, but with Hong Kong Cantonese cooking, because you were able to get fresh ingredients, they were making sure those ingredients sung on their own with a little bit of soy – if it’s fresh fish, some ginger, spring onion, and letting the dish do its thing.” They absolutely love being in the kitchen with me. Our lives can be so busy, but cooking together is another way you can spend quality time with your children,” she says.