Emilia Clarke at 40 and her dad's macaroni: smoked bacon, leeks, cheddar and parmesan, and a golden crust from the grill

Emilia Clarke, whom the world remembers as Daenerys Targaryen from "Game of Thrones", has turned 40. But when she talks about food, she doesn't talk about dragons. She talks about her father. "That was the dish I loved most from my dad, with smoked bacon, leeks and a few kinds of cheese," the British actress said. It is plain baked macaroni - and that is exactly why it's worth it.

Clarke loves to cook and host, and in quantities that suggest a hundred guests are on the way. She experiments with chef Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes, and she talked about her kitchen on Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett's podcast "Dish". Her love of food, she says, comes from her father Peter Clarke, a sound designer on big musicals in London's West End and an excellent amateur cook.

Ingredients for 4 servings: 400 grams of macaroni, 150 grams of smoked bacon, 2 leeks, 50 grams of butter, 40 grams of flour, 600 millilitres of milk, 200 grams of grated cheddar, 60 grams of grated parmesan, 1 teaspoon of mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Method: Cook the macaroni in salted water, drain and set aside. Slice the leeks into thin rings and dice the bacon. Fry the bacon until slightly crisp, then take it out of the pan. In some of the fat left behind, sweat the leeks over a medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft.

Next comes the béchamel, the heart of the dish. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and stir for about a minute. Add the milk gradually, stirring constantly, to get a smooth sauce with no lumps. Let it cook for 5 to 8 minutes, then add the cheddar, mustard, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Stir until the cheese melts.

In a baking dish, mix the macaroni, bacon, leeks and béchamel. Scatter the parmesan over the top and bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. To finish, switch on the grill for 2 to 4 minutes and don't walk away from the oven - the goal is a golden crust with a few well-browned spots, not charcoal.

If you think baked macaroni is a Balkan invention, this British version will set you straight: in London as in Skopje, the best recipes don't come from restaurants but from somebody's dad or grandma. The actress who played one of television's most powerful queens remembers, at 40, a baking dish most of all.