To eat figs off the tree in the very early morning, when they have been barely touched by the sun, is one of the exquisite pleasures of the Mediterranean.

Good food is always a trouble and its preparation should be regarded as a labour of love.

It is a very great mistake to suppose, as a few English cooks still do, that spaghetti and macaroni should be soaked in water before cooking.

I don't copy recipes without trying them out. I don't reprint without trying them again.

Some sensible person once remarked that you spend the whole of your life either in your bed or in your shoes. Having done the best you can by shoes and bed, devote all the time and resources at your disposal to the building up of a fine kitchen. It will be, as it should be, the most comforting and comfortable room in the house.

An awful lot of people think it's easy to lift recipes out.

Even more then long hours in the kitchen, fine meals require ingenious organization and experience which is a pleasure to acquire.

Writing doesn't come easily to me. It gets more and more difficult.

I'm very interested in my new kitchen equipment shop. I've started it with two friends.