Dean Piper lets us in on his go-to recipes, favourite hideaways and a few life-enhancing tweaks. Fruit cake, frozen margs, Greek islands and Madonna playlists, consider this your shortcut to living like Dean.
FAVOURITE RECIPE
You can’t beat Mary Berry for ease. I’m a huge fruit cake fan. All you have to do is google “Mary Berry’s easy fruit cake” and one of the simplest recipes known to man comes up. Try it. You won’t regret it. It also lasts for ages and doesn’t dry out. I add cherries, as I’m fancy like that.
FAVOURITE COCKTAIL
It’s a marg all the way for me. If I’m at Glastonbury then I breakfast on a frozen marg (take note, festival goers this summer). But if I want it expertly made then I head to Upstairs at Langan’s. They get it right every time and they’re known for remembering how you like your cocktail. Perfect.
FAVOURITE DATE SPOT
Try Cora Pearl in Covent Garden. The sister restaurant of Kitty Fisher’s. It’s a proper discreet bistro and a favourite date spot over the years. Try to avoid pre-theatre timings as they get super busy. The menu changes up often and it’s a delight every time and so few people seem to know about it.
THE READ
I read Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles last year whilst in Greece on holiday. This book has a healthy dollop of Greek mythology and a stunning gay romance within. I lapped it up in the most captivating of fashions. Otherwise I’m a sucker for a gritty crime thriller. The darker the better. I want to check the back door before I go to bed at night.
THE TWEAKS
From time to time, I go and see Dr Wassim Taktouk. I was always keen for a man to help soften the lines on this face of mine – you have to be careful when you’re a bloke and you don’t want to look too feminine. Wassim is the real deal. The best products, facials and skills. He’s a legend.
BEACH TIME
In Ibiza it’s got to be Benirras. Although, these days it can be swarmed with jellyfish and that’s annoying. They don’t play music and there’s a spooky amazing energy to the place. If it’s farther afield then Agonda in Goa, India, stands out. Lots of yoga, amazing walks and the food is off the charts. I loved being there for new year a few years back.
ISLAND LIFE
I might spend a lot of time in Ibiza these days but if I want to properly relax, I head to Sifnos in Greece. To be honest I don’t want you to know about this place. But hey ho. When I discovered this island, the brief was simple. I don’t want to see many Brits and I really don’t want to see anyone I know. It delivered on both counts.
MUSIC MAKES THE PEOPLE…
My friend Wiz Baucher is the Queen of Playlists. She recently did a playlist for a friend’s 40th birthday and if I’m ever in doubt I play that. It makes me look a lot cleverer when it comes to music than I am. Truthfully, Madonna, Spice Girls, Gaga and Twigs and I’m a happy boy. We don’t judge in this house.
Keep up to date with Dean’s adventures and hot takes on the celebrity world by reading his Substack.
June, 2025
