Quotes from Marco Pierre White

Just because something is English does not necessarily mean it is good. We make the best cheddar; we make great pasties. But we can't make very good brie or baguettes - and the French can't make pork pies.

I was brought up on a council estate. I know what it's like to be poor.

You cannot criticize a man for going to work. You really cannot.

I like a nice cross section of society in my restaurants - the stars, the toffs, the working guy.

My mother's death was the defining moment of my life.

My favourite dinner is a cup of tea and a ham sandwich with English mustard.

We're in a world that is run by accountants and I think that it's sad in many ways.

I spent my days on the riverbanks, in the woods, in the fields, shooting, hunting and stalking. I unravelled everything within my life. Self discovery is most important to me.

I like my mind being stimulated. I like discovering new concepts.

You can't be a chef and appear on television all the time. It's impossible. At least when I earned my stars, I was always behind my stove.

I think if you've been given something in life you have a moral duty to give things back.

Oh, I love ladies in hats! One rule of restaurants: never take a hat from a lady; wait for her to offer you the hat because she might not want to take it off - she might not have had time to do her hair properly.

I'm a great fan of farmed products, as long as it's done properly, because it allows people to be able to afford them. If it wasn't for farmed products, a lot of people wouldn't eat so well.

My favourite dessert is tarte Tatin.

Success is born out of arrogance, but greatness comes from humility.

When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.

I don't like London. I'm not happy here. I don't even own a flat here.

Anybody who thinks they're the perfect parent is a fool.

'Wall Street' was the big movie of 1987, the year in which Harveys opened. It was a film about greed and self-indulgence, about hunger for success, and Michael Douglas's line, 'breakfast is for wimps,' became a mantra for anyone who wanted to get to the top.

The French make the best wine.

English wine is nonsense. They are over-priced and not very good.

Harveys opened against the backdrop of Thatcher's greed culture.

People are bored of these 12-course gastronomic menus. They want affordable glamour.

Like most fathers, I would do anything for my children, and I've worked very hard at trying to be a good father. I want to give them education, security, everything I never had.