I am not a chef. I am not even a trained or professional cook. My qualification is as an eater.

I can understand why those primitive desert people think a camera steals their soul. It is unnatural to see yourself from the outside.

In fact I am quite snappy and irritable, and I don't know if I'd like to make myself worse in that respect.

Tension translates to your guests. They'll have a much better time having chili and baked potatoes than they would if you did roast duck with a wild cherry sauce and then had to lie down and cry for a while.

People who have fabulous childhoods have this sense that nothing is ever going to be that good again. With me, I have the sense that nothing is going to be that bad.

And cooking is about balance and harmony.

On the whole, I prefer Christmas as an adult than I did as a child.