Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
It's extraordinary these obsessions. You conquer one but then you move onto another.
When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.
I just want my children to be happy. And to be good people. Proper people. That's all.
If I think back to the eighties, my methods weren't conventional, but they got results.
Whether dealing with children or chefs, they are all giant babies in need of nurturing.
I cannot teach anybody how to cook. All I can do is show them, share methods with them.
I find supermarkets fascinating places. It's extraordinary, you can buy anything there.
I think if you've been given something in life you have a moral duty to give things back.
I like things that are educational and educational. I like things that are inspirational.
The more I invested in myself, the kinder I was to myself and the more I understood myself.
I was racially discriminated against for years as a child in Leeds because I was an Italian.
I never had a drink at all till I was 38. I'm just not a drinker. I go days without drinking.
Once you grow up and discover yourself as a human being you look at things for what they are.
People who can give themselves every day. They're the people that I admire, they're real people.
I like a nice cross section of society in my restaurants - the stars, the toffs, the working guy.
I discovered that the world of the finest restaurants was something akin to the world of the Mafia.
I can't work in a domestic kitchen; it's just too confined. There's no freedom, and there's no buzz.
I have no regrets in my life. If not for the mistakes that I made I would not be the man I am today.
I'm happiest walking through fields, on beaches, and over riverbanks. Nature is my surrogate mother.
The newspapers had described me as the Jagger of the Aga. It wasn't hard living up to the reputation.
I met my first wife at the fishmonger's in the summer of 1987, some six months after opening Harveys.
I think it's really important for every young person to work in a kitchen because you learn a life skill.
The only time I am seen in public is when I go to work. When I go home to England, I never leave my home.
Once you accept you are being judged by people who have less knowledge than yourself, then what's it worth?
I've never tried to be a celebrity chef, people call me that but I was that young boy that the media chose.
I don't do social events, I don't do award ceremonies, I don't do charity dinners. I live my life off-radar.
A chef's palate is born out of his childhood, and one thing all chefs have in common is a mother who can cook.
A cookery book should be there for inspiration. Recipes should be a guideline, and they shouldn't be cast in stone.
I love the countryside, which is where I live and feel most comfortable, and hate being surrounded by herds of people.
Remember, restaurateurs are only shopkeepers; that's all we are. It's no different from the supermarket down the road.
People still think I led a rock and roll lifestyle. I was in my kitchen 100 hours a week; I didn't have time to do that.
Buy locally where possible, but if you can't get the very best locally, don't buy locally. Buy it from where it is best.
Don't dress for others, dress for yourself. Clothes should be an extension of what you represent and what you feel inside.
Nine out of 10 English chefs have their names on their chests. Who do they think they are? They're dreamers. They're jokes.
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.
In 1990 at Harveys, when I was 28 years old, I became the youngest chef to win two Michelin stars. It was a huge achievement.
Restaurants should be democratic; you shouldn't be made to feel privileged for getting a table or being lectured by the waiter.
When you work for someone, you never realise how much you are learning. It is only when you leave and you reflect back on life.
I take so much from my life. I have my shooting and my fishing. I have my working life. I have my relationship with my children.
People do peculiar things in life and they do for whatever reason but I think one of the greatest crimes in life is when you lie.
If I did one thing, I made cooking rock n' roll: I made it sexy. I made young kids from rich backgrounds want to come into my world.
I can't imagine anything worse than trying to impress a girl with dinner. To be honest, I'm always impressing myself, not other people.
Eating is one of the most important aspects of living. I like indulging. I like to eat one food at a time, to savor each individual thing.
When I look at old pictures, I see my son Luciano, not me. Luciano looks identical. That's what's extraordinary, the power of a gene pool.
You can't be a chef and appear on television all the time. It's impossible. At least when I earned my stars, I was always behind my stove.
I don't believe I've ever truly been in love because I don't believe that I've known myself well enough in the past to allow someone to love me.
Once you accept and understand yourself, you do things for the right reasons, not the wrong ones, rather than being fuelled by your insecurities.
My children are, without question, the most wonderful thing. I've learnt more about myself through my children than any other experience in my life.
I wouldn't want to be in one room, 20 hours a day, 52 weeks a year, with four white walls and a stove. I think it stunts your growth as a human being.
As far as I am concerned, ambition is the most dangerous occupation in the world. I have never been ambitious, or if I have, it's only been by default.