Lesley Garrett on childhood memories and why she'd be happy to never leave Britain again

Lesley Garrett, the opera singer, recalls hitchhiking through Europe and seeing her dream come true in Moscow. 

I’ve seen the most incredible parts of the world

I’ve travelled a lot for both my work and holidays. But since I became a mum in the Nineties, I gave up all my international work. Luckily I’m able to do more work abroad now that the children are older. I was in Cape Town recently to perform in a concert. My husband Pete and I stayed an extra week in a little rental in False Bay to xplore Stellenbosch.

I was never happier in life than during my childhood 

Our summer holidays were always at Skipsea, around Bridlington Bay. We stayed in a little wooden Victorian cottage atop a cliff, which belonged to my great uncle. We we didn’t have a car so by the time we got there on public transport, we were exhausted. We ate fresh fish every day and I remember watching my mother filleting them. I never remember it raining.

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London was where everything happened

I felt I had to go there to make it on the opera stage. When I left home and came to London, I hitchhiked all over Europe, much to my parents horror. I’ve now come full circle, I longed to see beyond Yorkshire and explore the world.

I don’t like fly-and-flop holidays

I like to avoid crowded beaches and prefer breaks where there’s activity, like walking, or with a historical element with lots of places to see and learn about, so I’m part urban chick and part nature lover.

I fell in love with Croatia

I visited last year with three fabulous girlfriends. Because Pete is a GP at a busy North London practice, it’s hard for him to take chunks of time off. We started in Slovenia and had a driver so we could properly enjoy ourselves without worrying about getting from point A to B.

I love the south of France

We have a house in the Tarn region near Toulouse. It’s a little smallholding farm. I’ve had some very happy times there and I try to go there as often as possible. I love French people, the food and the climate.

The greatest walks

Our farm is in the middle of the Forest of Grésigne, where there are the most wonderful places for walks. I consider myself an amateur naturalist and there is a tremendous array of wildflowers for me to see. But we’re so close to Toulouse, so the next day I can head into the Halles aux Grains and hear the Toulouse Symphony Orchestra or go to the Lautrec museum and the terrifying Cathar Cathedral.

My most memorable holiday

I performed from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, singing Puccini’s One Fine Day and afterwards we went to Doyle’s (a famed harbourside seafood restaurant). I celebrated my 50th birthday out here with Pete and the kids. We visited the Great Barrier Reef, Atherton Tableland, Cairn, and rode quad bikes through the jungle.

I’d be happy to never leave Britain again

I think our country has the richest history and natural landscapes. We’ve also got an incredibly diverse climate.

Yorkshire so diverse in landscape

It's my home county and my favourite place in Britain, with the Dales in the west, and the rugged Moors, the Roman road in the north, which I’ve walked along. There so many stately homes, cathedrals, abbeys and artistic venues, plus the beautiful coastline. And the people are friendly and unpretentious, but they won’t suffer fools. Their nonsense radar is enormously well-developed. 

It was a dream come true

It felt surreal when I first sang at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow while on tour with English National Opera many years ago. I was initially anxious about going to the city, as it was during the time of former Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev and was worried about the political unrest.

I had an unexpectedly amazing time

The people in Moscow were wonderful, open and engaging and keen to learn from us about the modern way to do opera. I lived on the most delicious soup and wildly flavoured vodka.

Florida is just not my style

I found it artificial and commercial and didn't like it when I visited. But maybe I just wasn’t staying in the right place. I’m always happy to give somewhere a second chance.

I hate the endless security madness at airports

I particularly hate it when after taking great pains not to wear anything metallic, the metal detector beeps randomly and I have to be strip searched.

In the bag | Lesley Garrett's favourite travel accessories

I want to make the perfect tiramisu

I love cooking foreign cuisine and I’m off soon on a cooking holiday in Tuscany that I won at a charity auction. One of the best dishes I did on the Celebrity Masterchef television series last year was fegato alla Veneziana - veal liver in masala with caramelised onions.

One of my favourite places in the world

We’ve been going to the same lovely family hotel for nearly 20 years, the Auenhof in Lech, Austria. I’ve got a busy few months ahead of work but with any luck, we’ll be there for some great skiing next year. Before then, I’m off to Bedford Park and Castle Howard in North Yorkshire for two summer gala concerts and will also head to my treasured family cottage in Epworth in South Yorkshire.

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Lesley Garrett will perform at the Bedford Park Proms on August 5 and at the Castle Howard Proms in Yorkshire on August 18. For more information and tickets, see lphconcerts.co.uk. 

Interview by Sarah Ewing