Greetings! I started cooking as far back a I could remember, long before the current hype and media-fuelled proliferation of celebrity chefs - our television was in black and white and had only four channels back then.  I mean, we're talking about early childhood here, just after infancy!  I remember my mother handing me a piece of pastry and encouraging me to roll it thinly to make 'otap' (puff pastry thins).  We used to make all sorts of breads and cookies.  The only celebrity chef I knew then was called Stephen Yan -a legend in my opinion.  He had a cooking show called "Wok With Yan" and I remember him wearing a different apron all the time.  He was so much fun to watch and he loved making the audience happy.  My favourite part of the show was when he starts letting the audience taste what he cooked and I would just imagine how they taste like.

I get the most enjoyment out of cooking when I can invite guests. I love to experiment, and I'm constantly trying out new things – whether it's a single or seven-course meal, Asian fusion, Indian, Mexican, Italian or plain old British comfort food. People tend to have very negative preconceptions about British cuisine, but when it's done right it is a million miles away from the bland, stodgy fare you might imagine. Most deep fat frying and microwaving methods are considered taboo by most chefs but I look at it as a process that needs to be undergone when the need arises. My point of view is that the end product is more important than the process it underwent to get there. It's just a lot of maths and chemistry and knowing from experience how far one can push it.

I will always be methodical and organized with cookery at first then later on attempt to challenge standards and even laws, breaking every mold and just ignoring every proven method attempted. In my mind there is neither right nor wrong way of doing things. Everything is a matter of opinion.

Of course, whatever I cook is immensely gratifying when my family and friends are sated, content and eager to come back for the next meal. It is like a double-edged sword where I get to express myself artistically whilst learning along the way then, reap the rewards of nothing but pure admiration and gratitude after the meal had just been devoured.