It's not the extremes and the treats that are the problem. It's the everyday.

From quite an early age I realised the effect that good food can have on others.

I think authenticity is important whichever homeland you're from but one of the lovely things about British cooking is that we adopt great food and dishes from all of the lovely people who come from overseas to live in our country. We're a magpie nation - we take the best bits of other cuisines and embrace them as our own.

As soon as I was old enough to peer over the worktops, I remember being fascinated by what went on in the kitchen. It just seemed such a cool place, everyone working together to make this lovely stuff and having a laugh doing it.

All I ever wanted to do was to make food accessible to everyone; to show that you can make mistakes - I do all the time - but it doesn't matter.

I want Americans to enjoy food. I want them to celebrate food. I want them to, on occasions, to have big cakes and great things. And I want them to indulge.

I've cooked just about everything really.