Ainsley Harriott

“Bread's so important for me, it makes such a difference. I like it with a lovely bit of cheese on it, sometimes just with butter, or with some fresh soup.”

“To a degree and If I'm playing a game, I do my best to win.”

“The kitchen is the place you feel relaxed.”

“I don't iron my underwear and socks, but I like things to be organised.”

“A typical Sunday meal will be brunch at 11 A.M. I'll probably do muffins, proper scrambled eggs and sweetcorn fritters, which the kids love. Kedgeree's another thing I like, and if any of the West Indian family are over, definitely ackee and saltfish.”

“I'm a warm person and I like people to feel comfortable - if they're comfortable they're going to relax, cook and feel good.”

“The decline of the Sunday meal is a major concern because it means that family values are being forgotten. Once that creeps into mealtimes, it will begin creeping into other areas.”

“My dad Chester was a pianist and later a well-known television entertainer so football was never really something that was on his radar. However when I was a young boy a family friend took me to see an Arsenal game and from that moment on I was totally and utterly hooked.”

“When you come to Jamaica, there's a handful of things you simply have to try that's right on the top of the list, and I think jerk chicken definitely has to be number one.”

“Mum and Dad used to do a lot of entertaining. We had quite a nice house, so everybody descended on us at Christmas - aunts and uncles, who weren't even aunts and uncles.”

“I was quite shy. I found my way, I suppose, with food. It's a confidence builder. How else in life do you get that opportunity for someone to say to you, 'Wow, that's really great'? You put food in front of someone and, 'Ahhh, I really enjoyed that!' It's a lift.”

“I was one of those that didn't so much go to the discos or the clubs to drink. I went with a towel around my neck. I was ready to sweat!”

“Growing up, a black face on TV was really rare.”

“There have been times when, as a chef, I've bawled at staff because something's not quite right. But later I'd reflect and feel guilty.”

“I studied music at school and played the recorder. Later in life music was a great way of supplementing my income because I was paid really badly as a young chef. Luckily an old friend - we did music at school together - and I formed a duo, The Calypso Beat, which later became the Calypso Twins.”

“I'm a classic cheddar man, I really do like it, though I don't mind a good Stilton or blue cheese.”

“Shouting on TV feels like it almost gives viewers licence to do it in real life.”

“One of the nicest things about taking your kids to a restaurant - Thai or Chinese for example - is having all the dishes in the middle of the table so that you can try a little bit of everything.”

“What I've tried to do over the years is to kind of open the door to say 'It's a meal, it's OK, don't panic, don't get worked up about it.'”

“I think what balances me out more than anything is long walks and eating well.”