'I never sleep for more than four to five hours. I've always woken early in the morning because I get stomach burns. As a child I was hyperactive and was given some pills from the age of three to calm me down. I don't mind getting up early because I want to be awake; I have so many things to do every day.
If I'm at home, the first thing I do is hit the button on the filter-coffee maker. I crave caffeine. I take it with cold milk, because I drink a lot throughout the morning and can't wait until it cools down. I don't eat before lunch apart from a banana mid-morning, which is enough to fill me up. I often don't eat all day, until late at night, partly because I'm too busy and partly because of self-discipline. You must be hungry to get inspired and cook well. When I was filming the TV documentary Alive: Back to the Andes in extreme conditions, I went without eating for three days. It's all psychological. It's not that hard to go without eating for a while. Sometimes, I can be very hungry during the day, but when I see what other people are eating for lunch in the office it just turns me off. So I prefer to drink water; it really fills you up.
I don't cook much for myself, because I'm often too tired at the end of the day. Also, a lot of the ingredients I use in my cooking, such as onions and green peas, I don't like myself. So I whip up something fast from the fridge. But if I have a sandwich, it's always with good-quality ingredients.
After I have my morning coffee, I put on the television and listen to some news. I live in a big 14th-century farmhouse in Hertfordshire, England, which I have restored and where I have my cooking academy. I've got TV screens throughout the house in strategic locations and they're all connected so I can move around.
Because I have so much energy, exercise is vital to let off some steam. I either cycle or swim. I have a counter-current swimming pool that allows me to swim for miles.
My life is ultra busy and my time usually gets booked three months ahead. I'm always on the road for cooking demonstrations and promotions. Sometimes I'm gone for a week, other times for a month. Recently, I have been in Scotland, Austria, Dublin, Majorca and in Singapore for the Sun festival.