Comedian Katherine Ryan sips margaritas at La Bodega Negra and loves breakfast in bed at Claridge's

I once held a cabbie hostage inside my gates. He was banging on the door and must have been captive for at least half an hour

- Hayley Spencer

Home is… Chipping Barnet. I’ve been there since 2019 — I needed a big house for a husband and family. It’s five of us now — Bobby, Violet, Fred, Fenna and some dogs and a cat. It’s in zone five, and that’s why I’m not cool.

Where do you stay in London? I’m obsessed with Claridge’s. I love the luxury of a posh breakfast in bed. The gluten-free eggs Benedict and the shower at Claridge’s are the best. I don’t want to alarm anyone at Thames Water, but it’s so luxurious — a proper rainfall situation. I went for my 40th.

Where was your first flat? Crouch End. When I moved from Canada in 2008, it seemed to be quite an artistic neighbourhood. There’s the King’s Head pub, which still does comedy, and Roisin Conaty lives there. I think it’s still hip! My ex and I had a really tiny flat, then when I was single and had my daughter, we moved to this beautiful Gothic church conversion nearby. I still have it and rent it out, but I have fantasies about moving back there. I’m very Left-wing to have a second property, so I charge what I think is a very fair rental rate.

What was your first job in the city? I had a partner at the time who wasn’t working, so I got the role of being the salary girl. I worked for a company called Fashion Monitor, a business and entertainment news and red pages. I was a sort of headhunter. I was 23 and made £16,000 a year. I got bonuses sometimes when I sold well, although I never did because I’m a bad salesperson.