David Herbert grew up swimming, fishing (and occasionally bodysurfing with dolphins) in Nelson Bay, New South Wales, but from a very young age he developed a love for food, cooking and collecting cookbooks. Inspired by food writers such as Stephanie Alexander, Charmaine Solomon, Claudia Roden and Maggie Beer, David cultivated a food philosophy based on creating simple, achievable delicious recipes for home cooks.

After a career in Australia that included working as a private chef to two prime ministers, David moved permanently to the UK, where he was food editor for Delia Smith at Sainsbury's Magazine and then Condé Nast. Until late 2021, David continued to contribute two 'Perfect' recipes every week for 20 years to The Weekend Australian Magazine.

He is the author of seven cookbooks – including the iconic Perfect series, based on his newspaper column – and is currently working as a freelance journalist specialising in food, interiors and the arts. David lives in North Yorkshire and visits Australia regularly.