I love working. I love doing things. I don't like sitting.
I like my mind being stimulated. I like discovering new concepts.
Life is an emotional rollercoaster. It really is.
I came from a hard, working-class world which, since my mother's death, had been dominated by men. I hadn't been encouraged to talk about the burden of grief, and because I was severely underdeveloped when it came to sharing my emotions, I mustn't have been the most communicative husband.
I was brought up on a council estate. I know what it's like to be poor.
If I did one thing, I made cooking rock n' roll: I made it sexy. I made young kids from rich backgrounds want to come into my world.
I don't believe I've ever truly been in love because I don't believe that I've known myself well enough in the past to allow someone to love me.
If I think back to the eighties, my methods weren't conventional, but they got results.
There's something rather comforting about putting on an apron.
I was brought up a working-class Tory. I believe, to be a true socialist, you have to be a capitalist first. In my heart, I'm a socialist; in my mind, I'm a capitalist.
Once you accept and understand yourself, you do things for the right reasons, not the wrong ones, rather than being fuelled by your insecurities.
The French make the best wine.
Just because something is English does not necessarily mean it is good. We make the best cheddar; we make great pasties. But we can't make very good brie or baguettes - and the French can't make pork pies.
Buy locally where possible, but if you can't get the very best locally, don't buy locally. Buy it from where it is best.
My grandfather, father, and uncle were chefs, and my other uncle was a butcher.
I just can't stand Tony Blair.
Cuisine Nouvelle was just a concept, and one which, crucially, the English managed to get wrong. I mean, if you run a restaurant, you've got to feed people, not make pretty little pictures on plates to make up for your lack of ability.
Restaurants should be democratic; you shouldn't be made to feel privileged for getting a table or being lectured by the waiter.
Whether dealing with children or chefs, they are all giant babies in need of nurturing.
I never met a man who worked harder than me.
