How do you feel about New Year’s resolutions, Gordon?
I don’t wait 12 months to set my benchmark. Fuck it, I’m a little bit more disciplined than that. I set them every month.
What are your goals for January?
Swear less. Enjoy my success more – something I’m not very good at doing. And I want to win three stars in France. We went from one to two in a very short period of time in Bordeaux, so another star for Le Bordeaux Gordon Ramsay is a dream.
What’s one thing you’d like to find more time for this year?
Swimming. It’s an amazing thing to do, with no impact on the body. I fell in love with Ironman about seven years ago. I remember being in Hawaii at the start line treading water – it was 5.30 in the morning, beautiful, and I could see all these fish and this marine life underneath me. Whether you’re in South Australia or on the Adriatic Coast there’s an Ironman somewhere in the world for you to do. And everywhere these things pop up, there’s incredible food.
Any brilliant ideas for keeping your cool in stressful situations?
Oh, I think pressure’s healthy. Sometimes people can be a bit too wrapped up and so you never get the truth out of them. I teach all my chefs to get it off their chest and get straight to the point. But also I think the stress of the job today is more about a chef’s image as opposed to their actual knowledge.
Have you ever considered doing a digital detox?
No. I do get bored on social media and I get pissed off when my feeds get blocked with shit food, so I tear them a new one, but overall it fascinates me. I love the intrusion into restaurants. It keeps chefs on their toes. A lot of chefs hate the fact they’re having that exposure, but I think it’s a good thing because (a) you get to see where the problems are instantly and (b) you’re in front of the critics. There’s no six- or seven-week lead-in with the local food critic or a glossy magazine. Social media tells you in seconds how good or bad you are.
Is there a dish you’d like to master that you haven’t yet?
My ambition when I started to cook was to never be in a situation where I didn’t know what to do with an ingredient. I’d like to think that after 32 years maybe I haven’t mastered everything but I’ve covered a lot of ground, from incredible albino sturgeon roe to a durian down to a frog’s leg. Maybe there’s something in Kyoto I’m yet to attempt, something seriously religious or medicinal.
How do you like to relax when you have the chance?
If I’m not swimming I’ll be on my bike up in the Santa Monica mountains, climbing 2500 metres and, when I get to the top, taking pictures. You are completely left alone, lost in the clouds and off the beaten track.
Do you listen to anything or simply enjoy the silence?
Pure silence. Diving is another way of escaping: it’s just you and your heartbeat and the deep breaths. I love flying as well. You think so hard on a plane and, again, it’s uninterrupted. I also watch all my programs. Whenever I get on a plane I feel like I’m going to a cinema for eight hours.
What’s one place in the world you’d like to get to this year that you’ve never seen before?
I would say the Seychelles. I fell in love with Mauritius – I love the curry and the multi-layered culture there, so I can’t wait to get to the Seychelles next. And then there’s two Ironmans coming up: one in Barcelona and one in Palm Springs.
Gordon Ramsay’s new cookbook, Ultimate Fit Food (Hachette, hbk, $39.99), is on sale now. The Union Street Café Grey collection for Gordon Ramsay by Royal Doulton will be available from February 2018.
