How does it feel to become one of those chefs that people look up to?
You learn responsibility, you learn by watching others as well and watching the mistakes and the plusses they make. When you work with young catering students you teach them that all this TV stuff is great, but fundamentally you’re a chef at heart that’s where it should always end up. Like I said to Chris, if it all goes tits up tomorrow we grab our knives and we walk back to the kitchen.

Do you enjoy mentoring other young amateur chefs?
Definitely, we’ve had students to my house, teaching them how good food comes from the garden and the ground. They’re more interested in the cars to be honest, but if there’s something here to inspire them that’s the most important thing. It inspired me when chefs came and judged my end of year exams and if I can do that, that’s great.

What’s your favourite dish to cook?
Bacon sarnie or a Sunday roast. You can’t beat a roast chicken.

What type of cooking do you enjoy the most?
I like Thai and stuff like that, Italian is good, classic French is really good as well but probably Thai and Chinese I think are fascinating, the flavours are actually very, very simple but there are so many skills involved in getting it right.

Do you think the rest of the world has changed its opinion on the quality of British cooking?
Oh without a doubt. You can go to France now and you can walk proud as a chef. When I was doing my training you were treated like you were nothing. Now it has just changed, changed so much. And it’s only through the hard work of people who have worked in the industry, it’s not just the chefs, it’s everything.

What would you say is your food heaven and hell?
Food heaven would be chocolate. Food hell would be horseradish, cannot stand it, it’s too strong, bloody horrible. If you grow it in the garden you’ll never get rid of it, awful stuff.

Are you adventurous with your recipes?
I like being creative but I think some people are creative just for creative’s sake. I’m always of the opinion that if it works, don’t mess around with it. It’s great to be creative but you should never forget the art of cooking is great ingredients, cooked simply, and that’s where people go wrong.

What would you say is the highlight of your career?
There are several, I got a professorship this year, which is amazing, from Thames Valley University. There’s been so much over the years, but it was probably this year when I took part in a big race called the Mille Miglia Rally, in Italy. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do because a) to be able to afford to do it and b) how much work it took to be able to do it. It took a hell of a lot of work, not just by me but by everybody else it was a big team effort. It was pretty amazing.

Do you have a favourite culinary experience?
Yeah, my mother makes the most amazing roasts, they taste just like they did when I was eight. My mother is a great cook, there’s nothing better then going home and having Sunday lunch with your mother. The way she makes gravy, it’s proper gravy not that juice stuff. That and probably my grandma’s bacon sandwich, granny’s bacon sandwich was amazing, unbelievable.

You’ve built up quite an impressive repertoire of recipe books now, how does it feel to have them selling so well?
You kind of pinch yourself really, when I did Ready Steady Cook I had a few out, but they just told me the last one’s sold half a million. I haven’t written a new cookbook for two years, they’re anticipating a new one could sell twice, three times that. But again it puts more pressure on you to make things different and make it right.