Quotes from John Torode

I have no qualms with people who want to be vegetarians; it's just foolish. They are missing out on the best things in life: meat, cheese, proper Christmas pudding.

Raft Point is among the greatest examples of ancient indigenous art we know of.

I always gauge the deliciousness of the food in markets by the number of 'people eating and waiting - the more the better.

You can't blame another person for your world being different - or things like divorce. It gets right on my goat when people don't take responsibility.

I love Moroccan food, but I don't want to eat a goat or sheep's head, thanks.

In winter I love a pasty.

MasterChef's' about real people and for real people. It's aspirational and inspirational. There's nothing snobbish about it.

The inspiration to cook came from my grandmother and my father who were both wonderful home cooks. But I would say I taught myself. You travel, you discover the world, you explore books - it is these things that make a great cook.

The food I had as a child was not complicated, but by heck it was tasty. My Nanna's cauliflower cheese was awesome, her caramel slice wonderful and I am still searching for a recipe to make her apple tea cake.

My father did lots of things. He had an orange-juice factory. He did real estate. He did commercial selling. He was always up and about doing all sorts of weird and wonderful things and being adventurous. I always admired his self-discipline. He was very good at getting everything done. He was very tidy.

I like all my jackets to be on wooden coat hangers, all facing the same direction.

The culinary world is a fascinating place that has been influenced over the centuries by culture, religion, fashion, war, art, science and, more recently, globalisation.

We're all so busy we don't make time to enjoy our lives, good company and good food.

Start with the basics: make pancakes, boil an egg, make toast. Get the kids used to getting a bit of toast and understanding it's hot.

On Christmas morning breakfast is always thick slices of ham, thick white toast, butter and pepper - oh and a glass of fizz!

I grew up in a world with my father where you learnt to iron, you learnt to cook, you learnt how to clean the toilet... I want my children to be the same... I want them to be anywhere in the world and be able to cope.

Cooking is what I do professionally and it is my way of life, but it is also the way I relax. It is the thing I dream about the most; it makes me smile.

I don't mind cooking at home, I find it relaxing.

When I'm on holiday I want to clear my head and I found Marrakech too 'in your face' and busy.

I think restaurants and family homes and stuff are about conversation and about chatting. Food is there because you want to enjoy it and have fun with it but I'm not there to study it - I'm there to spend time with my friends.

Markets have long been at the centre of communities, not just somewhere to drop in and grab a bag of groceries, but a hub, a meeting place, and always a place to stop and eat.

My grandmother would let me stand on a stool stirring gravy in a large roasting dish in front of a wood-fired stove at the age of six. She wasn't worried about the whole health and safety stuff.

My worst flight was with the Indonesian carrier Garuda from Australia to Bali, which was just awful.

Tomatoes and mozzarella work very well together because the milk is rich in summer when the grass is very very green, and makes the best mozzarella in the world, same time as the tomatoes are around and beautiful bushy basil.