Actress Tilda Swinton has given fans an insight into her simple life, revealing she doesn't own a Tv, never wears make-up, and cooks "peasant" food at home.

The Oscar winner spends most of her time at her home in the Scottish Highlands, and she insists she is far removed from the glamour and excess of Hollywood.

She is so insistent on living a fuss-free life, she refuses to buy a television, often dresses in her son's clothes and sticks to homemade simple meals.

She tells Britain's Mail on Sunday, "When I'm at home I'm not into material things. I don't even own a television. Money goes a long way in Scotland.

"I'm not much of one for looking in the mirror. If I look good, it's to do with good genes, living in the Highlands of Scotland, not wearing make-up when I don't have to, and just the luck of the draw.

"I wear what I want to wear, and am lucky to have friends who are designers who make me beautiful clothes to wear in public.

"But I turn into a pumpkin when I go home. These days I wear a lot of my son's cast-offs - I can do this because he's taller than me.

"And when I cook it's with vegetables I grow and eggs from my hens. I'm a really Scottish peasant cook. I could cook you a fine Thai curry but really I prefer nursery food - shepherd's pie and milk puddings and soups."