I do believe you can be attracted by somebody at first sight. We have all done it.

The thing I can't resist is a pork pie. That's my idea of a lovely treat.

Memories are fallible and a timer can save a lot of hard work from going out of the window

There are people who claim to be instinctive cooks, who never follow recipes or weigh anything at all. All I can say is they're not very fussy about what they eat. For me, cooking is an exact art and not some casual game.

Food is for eating, and good food is to be enjoyed... I think food is, actually, very beautiful in itself.

My agent, Debbie, saying, 'Don't get involved in advertising.' She gets so many calls a day about me promoting a product, but I am really pleased I have never gone down that route. I don't want somebody else to make a saucepan with my name on it.

I have always read all the latest cookery books and magazines, from all over the world