In London I'm not seen in public. I don't go to award ceremonies or gatherings. I just don't go because I like my privacy. I like being with my family and I like being in their company. I work very hard and I don't have much time so I just want to be with my family or in the English countryside. I don't take holidays.

If the lift is broken, I'll just sit and wait for them to sort it out. I don't believe in friendly conversation or chit-chat.

I've never tried to be a celebrity chef, people call me that but I was that young boy that the media chose.

If you've been given opportunities then you have to create opportunities. If you're given knowledge by people, share your knowledge. If you were born with talent, show your talent off.

I don't do social events, I don't do award ceremonies, I don't do charity dinners. I live my life off-radar.

I came from the old world of gastronomy. Many years ago I walked into the kitchens of the Hotel St George and I feel very fortunate that I worked for chefs that were behind their stoves. I saw that world of gastronomy. I can sit here today and say that I saw the golden age of gastronomy. It's gone, it's gone. It's never going to have that anymore, once the accountants get involved the romance fades. That's the reality.

We're in a world that is run by accountants and I think that it's sad in many ways.