How much is an ounce of gold?
[Laughs] I don’t know, but I’m guessing that with all the turmoil in the world at the moment, gold might be worth investing in.How did you earn your first pay cheque?
I think I was probably 13, maybe 14, and I was working during the summer holidays washing up and doing basic veg prep in one of Dad’s restaurants. With that first pay cheque, I bought myself a Holdsworth racing bike, bright orange, absolutely stunning. It was my pride and joy.
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Was it a given you would follow your father (Albert) and uncle (Michel Sr) into the kitchen?
It was not necessarily a given, but it’s something that I always wanted to do from a very young age. In a similar vein, my daughter (Emily Roux, co-owner and chef at Michelin-starred Caractère in Notting Hill), from a very young age, said she wanted to be a chef. Being a chef is not a job, it’s a way of life.
Are you a saver or a spender?
I am a saver. I am thrifty; I hate waste as well. As a chef it’s very important to control waste, but I’m the same in my daily life. I don’t own a fleet of Ferraris or anything like that. I like to spend money on nice things, but I’m not materialistic in that way.
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Do you have a favourite dish to cook at home?
A cheese soufflé with a glass of wine. That’s a meal and a half, isn’t it? I love making it, and I love cooking it, and I love eating it in autumn, winter time when it’s really cold. In summer, if we are in the house in France, we live and cook outside. So it’s a trip to the market, where we’ll buy whatever we fancy.
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What has been the highlight of your career?
The highlight has to be cooking for the late Queen for her 90th birthday. She had booked a table, and we were specifically told not to close the restaurant – it had to be a proper evening in a restaurant. The other guests didn’t know the Queen was coming for dinner. There was security there, but they were very discreet. When Her Majesty came down the stairs into the main dining room, there was a hush. It was really special for the whole team.
What’s your best quality?
Gosh, it’s very difficult to judge myself. I’d like to think that I’m fair and that I stay humble. I’ve got my wife and daughter to thank for that, because if I do get a bit too big headed, they say: ‘Oi, behave.’
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What trait do you dislike most in yourself and others?
I hate being late. I just cannot stand it. I can’t stand people being late, and I can’t abide myself being late. I get really upset and really irate. I can forgive somebody working for me for not doing something right, or making a mistake; that’s not a problem. We can deal with that, we can learn. Being late, I think, is unforgivable.
You closed Le Gavroche last year, saying you wanted ‘a better work/ life balance’. But you seem busier than ever! What inspires you?
The opening of the new restaurant [Trocadero’s, near Glasgow] with my name on it, and my association to it, is genuinely exciting. It’s a brand-new project, a new concept. At the moment the personal aspect would be spending more time with my grandchildren. It’s nice to be able to take the two boys away from Emily every now and then, and give her a bit of – not free time – ‘free’ time at work.
Is there a principle you live by?
Remembering where you’re from, your roots, and respecting everyone – even the washer-up, the guy that does the pots and pans. And I know because I’ve been there and done it.
Trocadero’s is now open, at Crossbasket Castle, Glasgow
