RTÉ's best-paid broadcaster and host of a special, week-long reality TV show shares his dietary secrets with Melanie Morris
How big a foodie are you? "I've been cooking from an early age; thanks to my mother's teachings. I'm fairly familiar with the workings of a kitchen. However, I've recently lost two stone on the Gerry Ryan Don't Eat As Much As You Used To Diet. I don't think cutting out stuff you like works, but recently I've changed my habits."
What's your failsafe easy recipe? "I can cook a fair few things, but I guess it would be a Spanish omelette with peppers, cubed potatoes, lots of grated cheese and onions."
Do you have any favourite cheat products? "Well, I love cauliflower au gratin, but I don't make the cheese sauce any more. Instead I'll use the Schwartz one with a bit of extra pepper and some red cheddar on top."
Do you entertain much at home? "Absolutely. Big numbers around the table, like Sunday lunch. I'll often do the cooking - roasts with all the trimmings."
Your favourite celebrity chef? "I like Anthony Worrall Thompson, who was on the show this morning. And I've always been a fan of Jamie. He's the genuine article and he really can cook. I was glued to that show where he trained those ungrateful gits."
What's good in the RTÉ canteen? "Egg and chips. I'm not a big fan of the canteen concept, but there's a particularly good one in BBC Belfast."
What was your last meal? "Breakfast. We have an editorial meeting at eight every morning, so I'll usually eat during that. It's porridge that I make myself in the office and bags of coffee."
Your most effective hangover cure? "The bacon sarnie with YR sauce."
Favourite comfort food? "A crisp sandwich. Red King crisps, very fresh sliced pan and huge quantities of butter."
Can you be trusted to do the shopping? "Ah yes. But I need a list. And I'll always come back with extra stuff. But I'm pretty reliable."
Where do you go? "Nolan's Supermarket in Clontarf. They are excellent."
Is organic important? "Very. My wife gets a lot of nutrition from juices, and we've now got an organic-friendly nanny so the concept has filtered into the food chain in the Ryan household. We get fruit and vegetables from my friend Marc Michel, who, besides being Ireland's most handsome farmer, has made organic very sexy. I also think there's a big difference in organic eggs. I do resent paying €16 for a tiny chicken, however."
Is there anything you wouldn't let your kids eat? "My wife would monitor those sugared drinks, but really we're not that Draconian. I think kids need a wide experience with food."
Your favourite restaurants? "Shanahan's for a big man's meal. Their steak is second-to-none and I like to bring my boys there. You can't beat Diep le Shaker for craic and that amazing pan-Pacific menu. And I really like Sunday lunch in the Four Seasons hotel. They have the best dessert table in the world."
Do you order take-out? "Yes, from the India House in Killester, I can particularly recommend their Chicken Biriyani."
What would be your death-row last meal? "Dover sole with butter sauce and organic new potatoes and a bottle of Gavi de Gavi. Then one of the chocolate puddings from Shanahan's or maybe the whole of that Four Seasons dessert table."
And finally Gerry, if you are what you eat, then you are "Fillet Mignon - the finest, juiciest cut."
Charity 252, a radio station raising money for People in Need, is on LW 252. Gerry Ryan hosts Inside 252, showing highlights of the goings-on behind the mic, from Sunday to Friday on Network 2 at 9.30 p.m. The Telethon will run on Friday