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A protege of Gordon Ramsay, Lancashire-born Marcus Wareing (right), 36, has been head chef of Petrus, a Michelin-starred French restaurant in Knightsbridge, since 1999. In 2003 he also became the chef-patron of the Savoy Grill. He lives in London with his wife and two children.
I first met Richard in 1993 when I went for dinner at his restaurant on London's Fulham Road with Gordon Ramsay - and you only needed to read his menu to know what kind of a man he was. It was littered with simple, gutsy, honest ingredients like offal, pork belly, pig's trotters - something that very few chefs could get away with at that time.
I remember feeling quite daunted because I had just started out as a sous chef at Aubergine, and here was big, bold Irish guy with these broad shoulders and a massive reputation. You knew as soon as he was in the room because he bounded straight over and sat down, no airs and graces - and that is what I love about Richard.
When he opened Lindsay House in Soho, for example, if you walked in and said, "Jesus Christ, Richard, have you actually spent any money here at all?" The answer would be no - not a bloody penny. He doesn't need to spend a million on a fancy stove and 20 chefs to make him feel good.
I run my kitchens very differently to Richard, because once you've worked with Gordon Ramsay you become accustomed to wanting the very best of everything. Richard will be happy to work on a Garland stove, whereas I've always wanted the Rolls-Royce of stoves, the best pans,...