Gregg Wallace backs tinned fruit and veg in cost of living crisis

Gregg Wallace has supported the use of tinned fruit and vegetables during the cost of living crisis and supply issues.

The Masterchef host praised the quality of tinned produce and addressed fresh food shortages after collecting his MBE at Windsor Castle.

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Wallace, who used to run a greengrocers, said: "It's got me re-looking at preserved vegetables – tinned, frozen. They are not an inferior item. There is nothing healthier and more filling than vegetables. It's good for you, it's got no fat in it."

He added: "I live in a house with a beautiful Italian, I don't know where we would be without tinned tomatoes, tinned beans. Borlotti I mean, not Heinz."

Wallace has received his MBE for services to food and charity and was given the honour by Princess Anne.

Wallace has worked in the food industry since he left school at 15, originally working in a warehouse for Covent Garden's fruit and vegetables stall.

He later founded George Allan's Greengrocers in 1989 and supplied restaurants around the UK.

Among Wallace's charity work is his support for the Matt Hampson Foundation, which aims to inspire young people who are injured through sport.

The charity was founded by Hampson, a rugby player who received a lifechanging injury during training in 2005. He became paralysed from the neck down and now gives motivational talks about his experiences. He was also awarded an MBE last year.

In recent weeks, the UK has been suffering from a fresh fruit and vegetable shortage with many items such as tomatoes missing entirely from supermarket shelves.

Some supermarkets have also introduced rationing and limited the number of fruit and vegetables an individual customer can buy.

Watch below: Gregg Wallace reveals that his three year old son has autism.