I sometimes think the chef end of cooking is not the real end of cooking. Cooking is all about homes and gardens, it doesn't happen in restaurants

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

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.

Good kitchen equipment is expensive, but most items last a lifetime and will pay for themselves over and over again

I cannot for the life of me understand what the Minister Of Transport does every day. He goes to the office at 9am and leaves at 5pm and the traffic in London is still horrendous.

Getting into the habit of switching a timer on will, I promise, save you from any number of kitchen disasters.

A cake is a very good test of an oven: if it browns too much on one side and not on the other, it's not your fault - you need to have your oven checked.