Introduction

When I first started cooking at the county hotel in Skegness at the age of sixteen, I didn’t have the slightest idea that one day I would be running my own Michelin-starred restaurant. It was a humble beginning. When my family moved to Skegness, we lived in a caravan until my stepfather had earned enough money to house us all. He proved to me what could be achieved through sheer effort. I learnt fast that a recipe of hard work, determination and a little seasoning of good luck will take you a long way in life. When I first became a cook, I decided that if I was going to do this for the rest of my life I’d better be good at it. So I packed my bags and moved to London and, as they say in life, the rest is history.