A chef's palate is born out of his childhood, and one thing all chefs have in common is a mother who can cook.

Cooking is a philosophy; it's not a recipe.

My mind might be conservative, but at heart, I was always a socialist.

Food should be simple; it shouldn't be complicated, even down to making Knorr gravy: a Knorr stock cube and water, bit of parsley at the end, little bit of olive oil. It's about making the food deliciously tasty.

I think self-discovery is the greatest achievement in life, because once you discover yourself and accept what you are, then you can fulfil your true potential and be happy.

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.

Oliver Reed was a great man who did things his own way. He used to come into Harveys, my restaurant in Wandsworth, and sit on the floor to have a drink before going to the table.

My favourite dessert is tarte Tatin.

We all make mistakes. God knows I've made more than anyone else I know.

The food wasn't very good in the first kitchen I ever worked in. But it was very busy, so I learnt to be fast, absorb pressure, use a knife, and say, 'Yes, chef.'

Anybody who thinks they're the perfect parent is a fool.

A lot of people say I look like a rock star or a designer punk. But I swear it's the job that has carved my face. It's the hours, the stress, and the pressure. It's not me trying to look like this.

Self-control is true power.

I am a believer that if you bring children into this world, then you have a responsibility to do your best and support and guide them until the day you die.

People are bored of these 12-course gastronomic menus. They want affordable glamour.

My favourite dinner is a cup of tea and a ham sandwich with English mustard.

If you really want to know what motivated me as a young man, it was a fear of death.

For me, food is about generosity, and this should reflect on the plate as well.

Generally, I respect critics; they have their job to do.

Perhaps I created the monster Ramsay, who ended up as a TV personality screaming at celebrities on 'Hell's Kitchen,' doing to them what I had done to him.

I think, in life, the more you force things, they break. You just let things happen.

All great chefs have two things in common. First, they respect nature as the true artist, and they are just cooks. Second, everything that they do is an extension of them as a person.

I'm happiest walking through fields, on beaches, and over riverbanks. Nature is my surrogate mother.

The pressure of TV can force people to do odd things.

English wine is nonsense. They are over-priced and not very good.

You cannot criticize a man for going to work. You really cannot.

I love the institution of marriage.

My twenties were the worst period of my life.

I'm naturally an introvert.

I never had a drink at all till I was 38. I'm just not a drinker. I go days without drinking.

Can you imagine, I lost my mother at age six? My childhood ended then.

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.

Like most fathers, I would do anything for my children, and I've worked very hard at trying to be a good father. I want to give them education, security, everything I never had.

Good people are always forgiving. They close an eye to one's failings.

Females make better cooks than men. Females have a better palate. They have a better sense of smell. They never take shortcuts; this is why they're very good in kitchens. The weakness in what they do is they are not as physically strong as men, so they're never really given the opportunity.

My mother's death was the defining moment of my life.

I'm the Christopher Biggins of reality TV.

I think it's really important for every young person to work in a kitchen because you learn a life skill.

Harveys opened against the backdrop of Thatcher's greed culture.

I can't work in a domestic kitchen; it's just too confined. There's no freedom, and there's no buzz.

I met my first wife at the fishmonger's in the summer of 1987, some six months after opening Harveys.

Oh, I love ladies in hats! One rule of restaurants: never take a hat from a lady; wait for her to offer you the hat because she might not want to take it off - she might not have had time to do her hair properly.

I think Singapore is one of the great cities of the world.

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.

I don't need Michelin, and they don't need me.

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.

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.

'Kitchen Wars' makes 'MasterChef' look like a walk in the park!

My cooking attracted celebrities. I met Sylvester Stallone. He squeezed my bicep and said: 'I don't usually eat your kind of food, but for you, I ate it.' I haven't got a clue what he'd eaten but he asked me to cook for his wedding feast when he married Jennifer Flavin at Blenheim Palace.

When you roast a chicken perfectly, there's nothing more delicious.