Heston Blumenthal

And I like asking questions, to keep learning; people with big egos might not want to look unsure.

A lot of country pubs will receive Michelin stars.

It was not easy with a newborn, asking your wife to give up the family home and your security.

There are so many issues in our oceans - like the near extinction of blue fin tuna - that should be taken more seriously worldwide.

If it doesn't taste good it doesn't go on the menu.

I am not the world's most confident person.

Being branded number one restaurant in the world is actually very humbling.

But most is all to do with work. There are aspects of work that are enjoyable, that you could call a hobby.

You know how sad your life is when you know the release date of DVDs.

What gets me excited is the original principle.

No, when I worked as an accountant I was falling asleep waiting for 5 o'clock.

To me, food is as much about the moment, the occasion, the location and the company as it is about the taste.

I've got around 400 cookbooks.

I'm not scared of anything in particular, but I am motivated by a fear of failure as opposed to a need to succeed.

As we get older, we tend to become more risk averse because we tend to find reasons why things won't work. When you are a kid, you think everything is possible, and I think with creativity it is so important to keep that naivety.

Television forces people to be larger than life. I would be too shy.

It was quite a challenge to make people eat crab ice cream.

I was determined that if I failed it wouldn't be due to lack of effort.

We sunk everything into it. It came close to going under several times.

You think about some of the most memorable meals you've ever had; the food will be good but it will often be about locating a mental memory and taste is inexorably linked to all the other senses and memory, so ultimately it is all about taste.

I would try doing a dish 30 different ways.

I was born in the '60s and grew up in the '70s - not exactly the best decade for food in British history. It was horrendous. It was a time when, as a nation, we excelled in art and music and acting and photography and fashion - all creative skills... all apart from cooking.

I have this desire to keep improving, so I find fault.

We were saving, saving, saving then going to France and blowing the money eating. She was a nurse and had never experienced fine dining but she loved it, too. Our mates thought it absurd.

You need to do the work to bring the money in, but not compromise standards.

Now my complaint is there are only 18 hours to work in a day.