“The Asian airlines have the best wine programs.”

The relentless pursuit of being different is very French.

Cuisine has become too complicated – this is about subject, verb, adjective: duck, turnips, sauce.

Desserts are like mistresses. They are bad for you. So if you are having one, you might as well have two.

At my home in the southwest of France, I grow oak, hazel, and lemon trees in my backyard.

Everywhere in the world there are tensions – economic, political, religious. So we need chocolate.

Techniques are not the most difficult to teach. The attitudes chefs take are much more important.

I have a very modern way of thinking; the chef is there to lead the team and not just to sit behind the piano.

The planets resources are rare; we must consume more ethically and equitably.

It should be slow-cooked and seasonal. That’s my vision.

You can mix two styles and get fusion; any more and you just get confusion.

Nowadays, food needs to be healthy, local, sustainable and not filled with too much fat, salt or sugar.

Tasting a dish should be memorable If nothing remains in the memory of a single guest, then I have made a mistake.

Classical cooking and molecular gastronomy should remain separate.

Failure is enriching. It’s also important to accept that you’ll make mistakes – it’s how you build your expertise.

It is impossible to remain indifferent to Japanese culture. It is a different civilisation where all you have learnt must be forgotten.

The trick is to learn a positive lesson from all of life’s negative moments.

A recession is when you have to tighten your belt

I am equal to a baby and to a hundred-year-old lady. I am equal to an airline pilot and a car mechanic. I am equal to you. You are equal to me. It’s that universal. Except that it’s not.