Marco Pierre White

“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 f...”

“I'm naturally an introvert.”

“The newspapers had described me as the Jagger of the Aga. It wasn't hard living up to the reputation.”

“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 wha...”

“Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer when I was a lad. From then on, he lived in fear that death was just around the corner, and he set about programming me to work hard and bring in some cash...”

“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.”

“I discovered that the world of the finest restaurants was something akin to the world of the Mafia.”

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

“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.”

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

“Just because something is English does not necessarily mean it is good. We make the best cheddar; we make great pasties. But we can't make very good brie or baguettes - and the French can't...”

“I'm the Christopher Biggins of reality TV.”

“Once you accept and understand yourself, you do things for the right reasons, not the wrong ones, rather than being fuelled by your insecurities.”

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

“Life is an emotional rollercoaster. It really is.”

“Rudeness is not having fun, and if it is, it's at the expense of another person.”

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

“I like my mind being stimulated. I like discovering new concepts.”

“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.”

“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.”