Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall says campaigning can be 'nerve-wracking'

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall admits to 'nerve-wracking' moments when campaigning on various food issues, but said he's 'not afraid' of editors leaving in parts where he is heckled or shouted down because they're all 'part of the story'.

The chef and campaigner, who has spoken out on issues such as the impact of fishing quotas and childhood obesity, said getting a message across on TV meant you didn't have people's attention for long and 'you've got to cut to the chase' to get a message out.

He has campaigned with Jamie Oliver in calling for government and businesses to do more to tackle unhealthy foods and said whether it was in a shopping centre or on a beach he had to not worry about what people thought and put himself on the line, 'sometimes take a risk in a public space'.

Speaking to Kate Thornton on White Wine Question Time, the 57-year-old said: "Of course you do worry about it and it's very nerve wracking when you stand up there, but somehow you give it a go and give it your best shot.

WATCH: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall talks about how politicians and big businesses could do more to encourage healthier eating

"You're grateful for the benefit of the edit [on TV], although the editors always like putting the bits in where you do get shouted down, somebody does heckle you or say something that brings you down a peg or two.

"Those bits go in too, we're not afraid of putting them in because they're part of that story."

With Thornton saying he had always known how to get his message across throughout his career, Fearnley-Whittingstall said storytelling was such an important part of all our lives and that 'the best foods have the best stories'.

He said it went back to hunter-gatherer times, when people's main priority was finding food in a day, and building on the knowledge passed down by parents and then sharing that food around the table with all the stories that went with it.

Listen to the full episode to hear Hugh talk about the importance of choosing healthier food, his early career changes and all about his new book

"Most days were spent in the pursuit of food of one sort or another, whether it was animal, vegetable, or fish," he said.

"Then at the end of the day, what we did was sat down and shared the food and told stories, and most of those stories were about how we got that food.

"So-and-so fell in a hole, fell out of the tree, we all had a good laugh, but look what he bought back or look what's she found and look what we're all eating."

Fearnley-Whittingstall, who started out as a chef before losing his job during a financial squeeze at London's River Cafe, then turning to journalism before TV, said though life was different now, people still had a need for sitting around the table and sharing stories.

He said getting round the table with those we love, now that we have time for other things than hunting and gathering food, might still include stories about where food comes from, whether the herbs are home grown, or there is a story to go with something bought on a farmers' market.

"We can bring that to the table and share it with our family and friends. We're tapping into something very profound and elemental," he said.

WATCH: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on gut health; food education and eating healthy on a smaller budget