I found that the recipes in most - in all - the books I had were really not adequate. They didn't tell you enough... I won't do anything unless I'm told why I'm doing it. So I felt that we needed fuller explanations so that if you followed one of those recipes, it should turn out exactly right.

You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients.

If you're buying tomatoes pick them up and smell them-they should have a lovely perfume. They need to be kept at fifty degrees or above, particularly during the growing season, because that's when they develop their flavor.

Good french cooking cannot be produced by a zombie cook.

I don't use the word gourmet. The word doesn't mean anything anymore. 'Gourmet' makes it sound like someone is putting sherry wine in the corn-flake casserole.

I believe in red meat. I often said: red meat and gin.

The secret of a happy marriage is finding the right person. You know they're right if you love to be with them all the time.