After her mother died, Lee’s confidence in the kitchen grew – largely because she was forced to take on the cooking role, feeding her 15-year-old brother and seven-year-old cousin.

Hong Kong was a colony of the British Empire for a long time and all of those things came over then. I don't think people realise that," explains Suzie, who includes a chapter in the book on Hong Kong Western Café Specials. When her mum passed away, Suzie pretty much took on the role of mother, so she had to properly cook. Now, she has dedicated her first cookbook to Cantonese food, with 70 recipes "broken down in steps, so people won't be scared of Chinese cooking". The book is a dedication to the Cantonese food my mum used to make and I think people don't realise that it's fresh and not all deep-fried or high in calories," she explains. Her Hong Kong-born parents, Peter and Celia, moved to Northern Ireland in 1980 and food has always played a big part in family life. The couple opened a Chinese takeaway - the Man Lee in Lisburn - which is still going strong and where Suzie helped out through much of her youth.

We may think that Northern Ireland is famous for a good old cuppa, but in Hong Kong hot milk tea is an institution - so much so that in 2017 the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong declared their tea-making technique as an 'intangible cultural heritage'. I’m staring at Angela Hartnett and Mary Berry’s cookbook in my kitchen right now. These are people that I really respect and whose recipes I use, so it was really nice to meet them in person and learn from them. Detailing a range of simple techniques, short cuts and money saving tips, Suzie takes viewers through a range of family-friendly dishes based on readily available ingredients.

Winning Best Home Cook opened many doors, but I always describe myself as a chartered accountant who cooks. Cooking is my relief. I haven't lost the fun of it yet and hope to continue both," adds the 38-year-old. They love being in the kitchen with me cooking, eating and communicating through food," adds Suzie, who continues to juggle her new-found career as a 'celebrity chef', with her own accountancy business.Some of the ingredients might seem somewhat unconventional for Hong Kong cuisine – such as spam, corned beef, HP sauce, ketchup, condensed milk and Linton tea bags. The book is aimed at the home cook, with the majority of ingredients available from your local shop or supermarket.

To win and to have a Michelin-starred chef compliment my pastry and tell me I was a 'really good home cook' was a massive confidence booster.”Having grown up in a Chinese takeaway – the Man Lee in Lisburn, which is still going strong – Lee gets frustrated by the negative reputation takeout can get. You think 'oh wow I've produced this' and as much as it's lovely and beautiful, you wish she was here to share it." My recipes are not restrictive. I believe in using up ingredients you have to hand. This is especially important in this current climate where the cost of living is so crazy," adds Suzie, encouraging people to experiment. We never had a choice as children, we just ate what the adults ate and that's the ethos I've brought my kids up on.

Cantonese food is another string to that whole Chinese story. It's mainly Hong Kong so right by the seaside and there's seafood and other very fresh food." The Queen's University economics and management graduate is a strong advocate for reducing food waste and offers tips on where you can substitute and re-use ingredients and how to make dishes last longer.Cantonese food is actually quite different from takeaways because we grew up on fresh vegetables and ingredients. I'm trying to drive people to their local food producers suppliers because, especially here in Northern Ireland, we have so many wonderful foods available in terms of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish. Cantonese cooking is all about playing around with simple and fresh ingredients. It's about making use of all those flavours and letting the dish do its thing. It's not as complicated as people think - everyone should give it a try," she enthuses. Having been brought up eating all kinds of seafood and even tripe, Suzie was keen to encourage her own children, Zander (7) and Odelia (4), to be healthy and adventurous eaters.