Chef Marco Pierre White on his favourite foods, fame and why he does not like to be called a celebrity

MARCO Pierre White, 53, the grandaddy of intimidating alpha chefs, lives up to the legend as he picks up his mobile phone mid-interview and smashes it to the ground.

Any trembling sous chef can tell you, the mood of a great kitchen maestro simmers like a bouillabaisse and can spill over at any moment.

Only this time, he’s doing it for the kids … The cornerstones of the White legend make for quite a brew – all hubble, bubble, toil and trouble.

Hailing from a working-class background in Leeds, the Brit’s trifecta of Caravaggio looks, fury and mind-blowing talent ushered in the era of the rock-star chef in the ’80s and ’90s.

Just ask his protégé Gordon Ramsay, who learnt to cry in his kitchen – or the trainee chef who had the back of his outfit slashed with a paring knife after complaining about the heat.

White tossed out annoying, ignorant customers; shagged the prettier ones between courses (on the record) and tortured journalists (“There’s the door – you can go through it”) – and everyone lapped it up because his three-Michelin-star bursts of brilliance were as impressive as his rebellion.

But to a new generation of kiddie MasterChef Australia fans, this is no troubled ’90s superstar torturing his minions; he’s the Grand Poobah of the Network 10 show that’s turned us into a nation of foodies.

White’s a total pro, painstakingly selecting the best knife (“This one’s more powerful.

When you think of meat…”) or stroking the butcher’s block.

And he loves telling stories, so instead of your usual interview, he agreed to be questioned by some under-10 fans.

After explaining the merits of radishes, he coaxed them into stealing the strawberries on set.

The devil in the kitchen lives on.

 

Questions from Jack (4) and Marley (7)

What’s the best dessert you’ve ever made?

MPW: I’m going to let you all in on a little secret: I have a very, very sweet tooth.

My favourite dessert is tarte Tatin.

It’s an upside-down, caramelised apple pie that was invented by the French Tatin sisters at their hotel in Lamotte-Beuvron – as a pure mistake.

The sisters over-stewed apples for a pie, accidentally caramelising them, so they covered them in pastry and put it in the oven.

It is delicious.

What would you cook for the Queen?

MPW: A meal fit for the Queen of England would be a roast chicken with all the trimmings: red sauce, stuffing and roasting juices.

When you roast a chicken perfectly, there’s nothing more delicious.

I think the Queen would like hers on a silver platter with delicious, proper chicken gravy; you can’t present ‘whatever’ gravy to the Queen.

Just give me a chicken and I can make you a feast.

Do you like being a chef?

MPW: I was born into a very humble world in the north of England.

My grandfather, father and uncle were chefs, and my other uncle was a butcher.

When I finished school on Friday, March 17, 1978, I started working the next Monday; I had no option.

When you come from that world, you tend to follow in your father’s footsteps.

The food wasn’t very good in the first kitchen I ever worked in.

But it was very busy, so I learnt to be fast, absorb pressure, use a knife and say, “Yes, chef.”

I used to spend my time at an old porters’ lodge, having my cup of tea and helping them polish the clients’ shoes in time for dinner.

One day, I started flicking through a guide to hotels, restaurants and great recipes, and noticed for the first time that restaurants had stars.

The finest restaurant in Britain was called The Box Tree, which was 50 miles [80km] down the road.

I said to myself, “If I want to be good, I should work in the best restaurant in Britain.”

I plucked up the courage, knocked on the door and got a job – that’s how my love affair with food really began, and cooking became a life, not just a job.

It all started by default, a little like the tarte Tatin.

The deal is, the first 10 years of your career, you say, “Yes, chef,” the next 40 years they say, “Yes, chef.”

What’s your favourite season?

MPW: They’re all beautiful, but if I had to choose, I’d go for autumn because of all the wild mushrooms.

Each season brings its own blessings: freshly run salmon in spring; herbs and fruits in summer; root vegetables in winter.

What’s your favourite colour?

MPW: If you think of the perfect roast or perfectly grilled steak, it’s golden-brown.

Whether roasting, grilling or pan-frying, I love the different textures of brown.

Marley interjects: My favourite is white, because it usually means vanilla ice cream!

MPW: I could agree with you – and I have dressed in it all my life.

How about brown on a white plate?

Are you on Instagram?

MPW: God no.

I wouldn’t know how to turn that thing [he turns to an iPad on the table] on, let alone a computer.

Have you not seen my old phone? It’s literally older than you.

The genius of this phone is that the battery lasts.

And if I drop it and it smashes into a lot of pieces, you just reassemble it.

Do you want to see? [White drops his Nokia 3315 on the studio floor and it breaks apart. He puts it back together and switches it on.]

It’s just like Lego and only costs $60, not $1200.

How cool is that?

Milo (6) interjects: I wish I had one of those phones.

MPW: We’re meant to be talking about food, not phones, you know.

Did you feel bad when you eliminated John (Carasig) from MasterChef?

MPW: The contestants know the rules.

They enter the elimination challenges and know that someone is going home.

It’s always sad – and sometimes very good cooks go home.

But there are no second chances.

Marley interjects: I think the funniest episode was John and the chocolate.

[In an infamous relay challenge, Carasig sabotaged his team by making a white chocolate velouté when he should have been cooking mussels in coconut and tomato broth, to the horror of the cast and audience.]

MPW: It’s the logic of the mad house.

White chocolate! He was crazy, wasn’t he? When people are under pressure and the clock is ticking, they get nervous and make silly decisions.

I stay focused in everything I do, but I’m not affected by it. The day you think you’re famous is the end.

What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done in the kitchen?

MPW: When I worked in the hotel where I started my career – almost 40 years ago – the equipment was basic.

To light the stove, you pulled out the ‘bull’s eye’, turned on the gas, put the match and … poof! I went off to find fresh matches once, but forgot to turn off the gas.

When I returned, I was engulfed in flames – I had to close my eyes.

When I opened them all my face was red, except for these little crow’s feet, which were pure white.

Silly – and scary.

Is there anyone – or anything – you’re scared of?

MPW: No.

Jack interjects: Cooooool!

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do as a chef?

MPW: I’ve had a lot of very tough jobs in my life.

When I was a young boy of 16, I worked at a hotel garnish bench, so the jobs were enormous.

Ten boxes of spinach; 12 boxes of this; five sacks of potatoes to peel … One day, I got 13 sacks of peas to pod.

That’s a lot of peas.

Jack interjects: Pea bomb!

MPW: The head chef came out to check on me.

When I asked, “What do 13 sacks of peas look like when they’re podded, chef?” he replied, “I don’t know, Marco.”

I thought, well he won’t miss a few, will he?

So I threw away six of the 13 sacks and they couldn’t believe how quick I was; I got promoted for my speed! When the famous food critic A.A. Gill asked me about the moment I knew I was different from the average chef, I went back to podding those peas.

You shouldn’t throw out vegetables, but if given 13 sacks of peas now, I think I’d throw away six again.

I’ve always been a romanticist – and a realist. I am not a celebrity.

What’s it like to be famous?

MPW: I don’t think of myself as being famous.

When you’re in the public eye, you have a choice: you can live it and think you’re important, or be like I am today.

I do my job, turn up, get my picture taken with you and walk off.

Am I interested in the photographs? No.

Do I read my own articles? No.

Do I ever watch myself on MasterChef? No.

I stay focused in everything I do, but I’m not affected by it.

The day you think you’re famous is the end.

When I go back home to England, I garden with my chickens and hens, and water the plants; I’m never seen in public.

Have you met Jessie J? She’s English, too.

MPW: Who’s Jessie J? I live in my own little bubble just outside Bath.

I don’t see anybody, watch TV, listen to the radio or read newspapers.

I don’t really know what goes on in the world.

Have you ever eaten McDonald’s?

MPW: Yes, I have, when I’m driving from the south coast back to London with my young daughter and there’s a traffic jam.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong in pulling into McDonald’s for six chicken McNuggets and a milkshake.

It’s fine.

 

Questions from Jude (9) and Milo (6)

What was your favourite meal as a kid?

MPW: I liked all spaghetti, like Bolognese and Neapolitana – my mother was Italian.

But my favourite as a child was al burro – very simple, with butter and parmesan.

It’s all about the taste of the pasta, not the sauce.

Melt your butter, drain your pasta, add a bit of seasoning and parmesan in a bowl.

Sensational. Dinner in less than 10 minutes.

What’s your favourite dish as a grown-up?

MPW: I like one-pot cuisines – a big, bubbling pan of risotto or pasta.

I like a roasting tray with a big joint in it.

I just like simplicity – and generosity. Not these little knick-knacks on a plate.

I like to see and smell my food.

Presence!

Cleo Glyde interjects: Has your new life as a gentleman farmer – gardening, raising livestock and tending your butterflies and bees - changed your relationship with food?

MPW: No, because my ducks, geese, hens and guinea fowls are my pets and I like them.

I collect eggs in the morning from my hens in their nesting boxes – it’s rather lovely.

The one thing that never dates in the world of gastronomy is romance.

I build orchards and butterfly farms and beehives.

I’ve always been a romanticist – and a realist.

I am not a celebrity.

 

Source: The Daily Telegraph - Sunday Style, Cleo Glyde, 23^rd August 2015
Originally published as: Chef Marco Pierre White on his favourite foods, fame and why he does not like to be called a celebrity