During the week I often roast a chicken or make a simple pasta dish – most likely with pesto, broccoli and mushrooms, served with garlic bread. We might also whip up a risotto, or have the leftover bolognese sauce with roasted vegetables, and topped with spinach and a cheesy bechamel sauce. 

Weekends are always taken up with the restaurant, but if my kids are around I’ll make pancakes for breakfast – they’re always a hit with the family. After a long shift in the kitchen, when I get home late, I’m not usually up for cooking and don’t like to eat too late. It’s more likely to be some good cheese with crackers and a glass of Bordeaux. At that time of night, I don’t want anything too heavy.

I love barbecuing in the summer. I’ve got two teenage sons, so we’ll often have pizzas made on the BBQ. It gets to about 400°C so they cook in just three or four minutes. I also like to do salmon on there and serve it with rice, coriander and lots of lime. 

When I travel, I often find kitchen tools to bring home. I’m a bit of a memorabilia collector when it comes to kitchen equipment. One of my favourite things to collect is pepper mills. I recently bought a round copper bowl in France, which is perfect for making soufflés, especially cheese or savoury ones. There’s a chemical reaction between the copper and egg whites, making the peaks firm and stiff when you hand whisk them. I also love pestle and mortars.

I own between 300 and 400 cookbooks which I’ve accumulated over the years. Everything from Elizabeth David’s French cooking ones to more contemporary works like The French Laundry and a variety of Asian, bakery and pizza books. There are some chef classics in there too, like Joël Robuchon and Alain Ducasse. I reference these books a lot, especially Larousse and Répertoire de la Cuisine for inspiration and technique. I also have every Michelin book from the 1950s – it’s a bit nerdy but I find them fascinating. 

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