Marcus Wareing (notes from the BBC interview)
/In this post, there are notes so that you can understand the BBC radio 4 Desert Island Discs interview with Marcus Wareing. He is a very well known British chef. Aggie and I are currently creating a podcast and it will be launched on 1st October!
You can listen to the interview here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0006t4q
INTRO BY LL
0:49 One of the most respected and acclaimed chefs
0:57 A string of best selling cookbooks
1:08 But the seeds of his career were sown as he accompanied his father (a fruit merchant)
1:15 His talent singled him out early
1:19 His notorious work ethic sorted the rest
1:24 By 26 He had clocked up more 18 hour days than most do in a lifetime
WHY A CHEF?
2:03 What was the appeal? [LL]
2:10 It was the working with basic produce that my father bought and sold
2:27 Could spend quality time with my father
2:37 When I reflect back on the time
2:41 Get your head down
2:46 My father was a stickler for precision
CRISIS IN DINING
4:01 Mid market chains shutting down [LL]
4:08 Are we seeing a crisis unfolding in the dining industry [LL]
4:20 Such a cloud that sits above us
4:32 The tide is changing
5:11 So we have to make sure that we get it right
MASTERCHEF PROFESSIONALS
5:18 Has it changed your outlook on what is a great plate of food? [LL]
5:46 So I’m short, sharp and to the point
6:02 I’m actually using the chef as a channel to the viewer
6:16 I think I was taking them for granted (the chef)
SECOND DISC (COME ON EILEEN)
6:44 This holds fond memories for me (mum called Eileen)
MOTHER
8:16 She was so houseproud
8:20 The house was immaculate
8:34 They were that starched!
8:37 You’d walk into the kitchen stiff as a board
8:49 She was tough, strict in every way I can remember
9:00 Presumably you Learnt from her (2 of 4 become chefs)
9:11 I became a lot better than her in a short period of time because I was starting to master a trade (!)
Looks back - meat overcooked, veg overcooked, apple pie had a soggy bottom!
9:27 Vegetables cooked to smithereens because that’s how my dad likes them!
SIBLINGS
9:44 There was a big gap (in ages)
9:48 Everyone in my house was a workaholic
10:10 Someone who stood up for me when things got tough
FATHER
10:48 He didn’t trust himself he would quadruple check everything
11:18 Were you aware that that was an unusual family culture? [LL]
11:51 If you had borrowings you had to work very hard to make ends meet
THIRD DISC (IN DREAMS)
12:09 The only cassette he had in his car
FAMILY BUSINESS
13:25 Was standing on the back of the wagon
13:37 Couldn’t see a long term future in the business
13:59 Chips, deep fried this
14:06 Fresh produce died away
14:29 I wanted to work I was a worker
14:42 That college that opened the door to London
15:02 He pulled me to one side afterwards
15:10 Such precision, hygiene and togetherness
15:28 And the rest is history!
FOURTH DISC (SIMPLY THE BEST)
15:39 I took up boxing because I was an individual
15:48 When I was in the ring I didn’t have to rely on anybody else
16:01 Every step of his career was immaculate
16:13 Stood on the rim of the ring showing off his 8 pack - not 6 pack!!
16:25 That single mindedness that reminds me so much of being a cook
FIRST JOB AT SAVOY
17:19 To see the grandeur of it (the Savoy)
17:42 I wondered what on earth I’d just done
17:54 I absolutely fell in love with fear and worry
18:07 How did you adjust? Were you lonely [LL]
18:13 Forget it, get on with it!
18:18 The reason that dad became such a rock, would go to payphone and call my dad
18:41 Got promoted quickly because of the way I worked
SECOND JOB
19:35 These kitchens were classed like that
19:53 What was it like being on the cutting edge? Was it rock and roll?
20:20 It was only at that point when I realised I’d learnt my trade
FIFTH DISC (FROM THE FILM BRAVEHEART)
20:46 The language barrier - I didn’t crack that
20:52 I was just affixed by this movie
21:00 I just hear it in my head
21:11 The next step in his life becomes this journey
22.00 You’re hugely dedicated to your profession
22.22 His business collapsed (talking about when his father retired)
22.45 so they get a flavour of who Dad is (decided to take time off so that he could spend time with his kids)
22.57 never really putting the cart before the horse - I don’t want to be a slave to the kitchen all my life
23.05 You’re stint on masterchef began in 2014
What was it about the programme that persuaded you to step out of your own kitchen at work
23.28 it really shone a light on the next generation of young chefs
23.32 I was honoured, delighted, excited and nervous
24.33 it is stunning (when his wife cooked lasagne and he gave it a 10/10 - a huge smile on her face)
NEXT TRACK - SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
24.44 I was transfixed by this movie (Saturday night fever)
24.49 John Travolta strutting his stuff
GORDON RAMSAY
25.41 Quoted as saying “The two biggest turning points in my life were meeting and breaking with Gordon Ramsay”
25.49 there was an acrimonious legal battle
26.04 we’d worked together tirelessly
26.07 Gordon gave me a stage to perform on but I’d also helped him perform on his own stage
26.26 You grow up and you want to spread your own wings
26.56 I decided to go my separate way and pick a fight
27.07 I put everything on the line (family, children’s schooling, house) to fight
27.20 so it was a test of your mettle? LL
SEVENTH TRACK - BLUE ON BLUE
29.07 How do you explain that paradox? (the British love cookery books and cookery programmes but last year British people spent more on ready meals than any other country in Europe.
29.29 something has to give (spend so much time on social media)
29.36 it’s not good for the waistline either (buying ready meals)
GOING TO THE DESERT ISLAND
30.10 what would you rustle up for your last meal before you went?
EIGHTH TRACK - SKYFALL (ADEL)
32.18 We won’t send you there empty handed - we’ll give you the books etc
Book: Bear Grylls
Luxury: A knife