Bear Grylls lived on rations-style food when he was growing up – because his mother was a “terrible cook”.

Although he was born in 1974, the adventurer and TV personality had the diet of a post-war child.

Bear Grylls
Bear Grylls (Mark Johnson/betty/ITV/PA)

He told BBC Good Food magazine: “My mum was wonderful, but she was a terrible cook. She made British food seem like post-World War Two rations.

“It wasn’t quite as bad as Spam, but she would leave a pan of Brussels sprouts stewing for a whole afternoon.”

It was while fishing with his father that the youngster was able to enjoy a good meal.

Bear Grylls' father Michael Grylls
Bear Grylls’ father Michael Grylls (PA)

“I used to go fishing with my dad a lot,” he recalled. “With freshly caught trout, we’d put a knife straight down the spine, flip it over, go under the skin and then pan-fry it. Beautiful.

“Then we would get a load of tomatoes, blend them, add some olive oil and serve that over the fish. It was amazing.”

The May issue of BBC Good Food is out now.