There is a level of snobbery and fickleness in L.A.

I like finding talent. That's what really turns me on, I suppose.

Growing up in Britain, we didn't have much, worked for everything. To leave food on the plate, Mom classed it as being rude and so we ate because we were hungry, not ate because we had a choice in the fridge.

[I spend a] lot [time travelling]. Between the restaurants, filming for TV, producing MasterChef, seeing the kids... it's pretty constant.

Best to start at the bottom & gradually climb up. It's much more fun, too.

Very few restaurants do five services a day - breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, cocktail, theatre and dinner - and because of that we can offer something for everyone.

I actually quite like [social media]. It's spontaneous, you don't really have to commit to it and I enjoy the interaction. Also, I have never sworn on there, not once.