There are very few chefs both in Britain and the States that really identify the secret of being consistent. And combine consistency with flavor.

When you're a chef, you graze. You never get a chance to sit down and eat. They don't actually sit down and eat before you cook. So when I finish work, the first thing I'll do, and especially when I'm in New York, I'll go for a run. And I'll run 10 or 15k on my - and I run to gain my appetite.

We're fragile, fragmented souls who are very sensitive to criticism.

There's a bond among a kitchen staff, I think. You spend more time with your chef in the kitchen than you do with your own family.

I am happy for them all: Angela Hartnett, Jason Atherton, Marcus Wareing, Mark Sargeant.

Would I swap what I have achieved as a cook if I could have been as successful as a footballer? Definitely.

I quite like that jeopardy, those up-against-the-wall odds. I don't like it when it's over-comfortable, too easy, something that can be done in two or three weeks. I like a challenge.