Welcome back to What’s Cooking, Metro’s food series where we find out exactly what’s going on behind the scenes in the nation’s kitchens.
So far we’ve snooped through Jamie Oliver’s kitchen as well as that of a former flight attendant who shared plane food secrets and what she eats after a trip.
This week we’re rifling through Scott Harrison’s cupboards, fridge and freezer in East Hertfordshire. The 51-year-old is a personal trainer to the stars and the founder of Six Pack Revolution, an online fitness, nutrition and personal development programme.
The father-of-three has spent the last 10 years of his life helping other people to reach their own fitness goals, including celebrities like Rylan Clark, Peter Andre and Denise Van Outen.
If you’re wondering what game-changing swaps you can make to meals to eat a little healthier and what a PT really eats when no one is looking, we’ve got the answers…
Tell us a bit about your job…
I was picking my kids up from school one day in 2015 and I looked around at the other parents and was shocked. They were overweight, buckling at the knees and I remember thinking it wasn’t a good look for people who were meant to be role models. Then I realised I was one of them.
So at 42, I decided I was going to get a six pack in 90 days. I blogged it on Facebook and I called it Scott to Hot. About 36 people said they wanted to join me on the journey and I told them, I’m not messing around here and 19 of those people got to the finish line with me.
The results of those 19 people blew everyone’s minds. People started begging me to do another programme later in the year, and 120 people joined that one, which was when I realised I had something. To cut a long story short, we now have tens of thousands of people join every year with participants in over 90 countries.
What’s it like working with celebrities?
It’s been a real blessing. I kind of fell into this job accidentally and somehow managed to get into the celebrity world too.
I helped Rylan Clark get a six pack and we’re good friends now – he even mentioned me twice in his latest biography. His transformation is incredible, he actually didn’t need to lose weight, it was the opposite, he needed building up. He was going through a divorce and he was in a right old mess, so we had to do things a bit differently for him, but it’s not just about weight loss, it’s about wellness.
Sara Cox has also become a friend through it, as well as Sara Davies from Dragon’s Den – they’re just normal people who’ve got different jobs from the rest of us.
How have your eating habits changed since becoming a personal trainer?
I’ve never been a big junk food person but I used to eat and drink out a lot and this is very calorific. I don’t do that as much anymore, I make a lot of food myself instead now.
When I’m following the Six Pack Revolution plan, I eat six times a day – three main meals and three snacks. Sometimes I switch this up and do two meals, two snacks and two meal replacement shakes.
At the end of the programme, I try to find a balance between eating well, but still being able to be a bit naughty and go to social events and indulge. You can keep your results and still party twice a week, it’s the best of both worlds.
What’s your guilty pleasure food?
I love spaghetti bolognese with piccalilli, I can’t eat spaghetti without it now. It was something a close friend of mine passed down to me and everyone needs to try it, because it’s amazing.
It has to be a really vinegary, cheap piccalilli, something that’s like £1 a jar. It doesn’t work as well with a posh one you’d get from a farm shop.
Sometimes I like to get a slice of crusty bread and spoon the bolognese and piccalilli on top and eat it off the bread like an open sandwich as well.
Is there anything you’d never eat?
I’d never eat a McDonald’s, unless I was starving and it was the only food left in the world. It just tastes like plastic.
I’m used to eating whole foods now, so something so processed and gross doesn’t interest me, I’d rather go to a proper burger place or make my own.
Have you got any store cupboard must-haves?
I have granola mania. I’m obsessed with it, I could easily eat an entire box, but the stuff you buy from the supermarket can be quite high in fat and sugar, so I came up with my own version and it’s called quinola. It’s made with quinoa and it’s got a fraction of the sugar in it.
It also contains nuts and seeds, some dried fruit and a little bit of honey. I pair it with Greek yoghurt or soya milk, but mostly yoghurt.
Name one item that’s always in your fridge…
I’m always snacking on carrots and hummus, so they have to be in there. We have our own recipe book at Six Pack Revolution, and it’s got a hummus recipe, so I make my own. I quite like to do a roasted red pepper and chilli one or beetroot hummus.
It’s so useful to have in the fridge as you can add it into so many other things like wraps or salads.
And tell us about something you always keep in the freezer…
It’s boring but I always keep some tortilla wraps in the freezer and a bag of frozen veg.
For a quick and easy meal I grab a can of tinned fish, something with a bit of spice in it ideally, and I just mix it up with some of the cooked veg. It’s really tasty and you can make it in minutes if you microwave the vegetables.
What’s one ingredient you’ll always be willing to splurge on?
The one thing I spend silly on is beef. I’ve easily spent £100 to £120 at the butchers on a rib of beef for a Sunday roast – something very fatty and juicy. The more expensive it is, the more likely I am to go for it as I assume it’s got to be better.
I also eat a lot of sushi so I make sure I have good quality fresh raw fish from a fishmonger.
How about one kitchen staple that’s not worth splashing the cash on?
Tinned tomatoes. I don’t think I’ve ever found any that taste any worse than another brand. When you add them to a dish, you’re normally adding garlic and herbs and spices as well, so that’s where all the flavour comes from anyway.
Do you have any game-changing cooking tips for healthy eating?
If you don’t want to add salt to your recipes but are worried your food will taste bland, I’ve found a healthier alternative. You can swap out the salt and add some white pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice instead. It really lifts the flavours of a meal, just like salt does. Those two simple ingredients make everything come to life.
Finally… what’s been cooking in your kitchen lately?
My go-to meal is a rack of lamb in an orange and chilli sauce. Believe it or not I got the recipe from an Australian Women’s Weekly Cookbook from the 1970s.
The sauce is made from orange juice, sweet chilli sauce, whole grain mustard and a few other bits. I serve it with new potatoes and then some vegetables like broccoli or peas and it’s incredible.
Want to take part in What’s Cooking and let Metro raid your kitchen at home? Email courtney.pochin@metro.co.uk
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