She sang in the family attic, and it wasn't until she left home to study music at the University of Wolverhampton that she started singing to audiences, coming second in a national competition to find the country's best Billie Holiday soundalike. After recording several CDs, she was championed by Michael Parkinson, and her first album for Sony topped the British jazz charts. Clare is a singer, songwriter, broadcaster and columnist, who performs all over the world. She has won the British Jazz Vocalist of the Year award three times. Clare now lives in Bath with her partner, Muddy Field, and her son.

What is your first memory of being outdoors in Yorkshire?

We used to go to Reighton Gap in the caravan every year. As a small child, it seemed we had to walk miles and miles from the clifftop to reach the sands. We had a dog who was very old and dad used to carry her down in the rucksack. Some of my happiest memories are making that walk and playing on the beautiful beach at the bottom.



What's your favourite part of the county and why?

That's difficult to answer because it's so big and varied. I love Leeds, and I'm very fond of Bradford, too. I think Bradford's got a big heart. But I also love Harrogate and I think I've always been drawn to spa towns – I now live in Bath.



What is your idea of a perfect weekend/day out in Yorkshire?

Some of the walks we did as a family in Wharfedale are still special to me. One that springs to mind is the riverbank between Burnsall and Grassington. Another part of a good weekend would be a nice pub meal and a pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord.



Do you have a favourite walk or view?

As a kid I used to get so excited when we went to Ilkley Moor. I can't read a map
to save my life, but when we did orienteering there when I was at school, I already knew it really well. I love the moor's contrasting landscape. Sometimes you feel like you're in a park, and in other places it's like a wilderness.



Which Yorkshire sportsman/woman would you take for lunch?

It would have to be Beryl Burton. She was an amazing cyclist and athlete from Morley, Leeds, who won gold medals over a period of about 20 years and the extraordinary thing about her was she used to compete time-wise against men. There was one time-trial she did in which she not only beat the male competitor but offered him a sweet on the way past!



Which Yorkshire stage or screen star would you like to take for lunch?

Someone like Barry Cryer from Leeds. I've met him a few times and he made me laugh a great deal. Barry has worked with everyone. He's a phenomenal writer and he would have some great tales to tell over lunch.



What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

I feel a bit of an imposter doing this interview because I left Yorkshire when I was 18 to go to university. That said, I am still very much a Yorkshire person. You are never not from Yorkshire, and I think that answers the question. The place has such a strong identity, which a lot of counties don't have. Yorkshire has down-to-earth people with a sense of hard work and honesty. I admire that.



What about Yorkshire's cultural life?

Two things come to mind. One is Bradford's great National Media Museum. I did work experience there as a teenager, because I did Russian A-level and the museum was having a Soviet display. It needed help with editing video tapes of Russian TV. I felt so important working there, and it played a big part in my dream-building. Another place that's really special is Salts Mill, a fantastic place to look at art.



Favourite restaurant/place to eat

There's a pub-restaurant called The Farmers Boy at Shepley, near Huddersfield. I like anything with pastry on, and they do amazing meat pies there. I also have fond memories of walking from our home for about three miles to the Dog & Gun at Glusburn, bizarre given that there was a pub only at the end of our road. Must be that Timmy Taylors connection again!

How do you think Yorkshire has changed in the time you've known it?

It's fantastic that so much money has been spent on the cities. Leeds now has a fantastic buzz. Really vibrant. The downside is that urban sprawl has reached rural areas. When I was growing up in Airedale all you could see were fields; by the time I was about 11 they'd put a bypass through the valley, which I could go along with. But it was followed by a lot of prefab metal buildings. It's a crying shame that they've ruined some lovely Yorkshire landscapes with such God-awful nastiness.



Who is the Yorkshire man/woman you most admire?

It has to be Parky! Okay, he's done an awful lot for me but he's also a great man. He came from nothing to achieve so much, and I've strived to do that. Yorkshire gives you a very good work ethic. I had great role models in my parents, and I think Michael is a great example of that real Yorkshire tradition of a sense of hard work and family, and enjoying your reward.



How has Yorkshire influenced your work?

It goes back to a sense of honesty and realness, and a belief that you should never try to be something you're not. In my business the highs can be very high, and the lows crushingly low. It's being able to keep a level head throughout. That was implanted in me by Yorkshire. Don't get too big for your boots, remember where you're from.



Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/performer.

My son was doing his GSCEs and he had to study An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley. I had forgotten how great that was. Also, I like the work of WH Auden who was born in York. The artist would be David Hockney, not necessarily because of the way he paints but just because I admire the man. The most recent Yorkshire CD I bought was by the late Jake Thackray. God bless him, he was a great musician and had a wonderful way with words. My performer would be Kate Rusby, who is a real asset to Yorkshire. She sings what she believes in with no messing. It all comes from
the heart.

Clare Teal is performing at the Coastival Festival, Scarborough, on February 14, 2009, soon followed by a national tour with dates in Yorkshire. See www.clareteal.co.uk for details.