Marcus Wareing's diary

The customers who eat at the chef's table at The Berkeley often say that watching the team in the kitchen is like watching a play because it looks so rehearsed. Well, last week I went to see an actual play about cooking,

I spent the interval people-watching and eavesdropping. One woman thought it was unrealistic that there was no food on stage, but I don't agree; food wasn't needed because the way they chopped, whisked and moved pans was so accurate and graceful. Along with the sound effects and the real gas burners, you almost forgot there wasn't any actual food. Even the way the pastry chef pretended to fold was perfect and looked so skilful. The whole thing was incredibly well choreographed by my friend Jeremy Lee of the Blueprint Café, who was brought in as a consultant. I didn't see anyone put a foot, or should that be finger, wrong.

Kitchens, at least where I am, are different places now. There is a very different way of cooking. The restaurant manager used to be in charge, but the chef is king these days. The chef is the one in the limelight and the one in control because he's the talent. There's no arguing or discussion of personal problems, and the kitchen is a calmer, more together place. That said, the chaos remains in some places. You can see it on Gordon Ramsay's show, where he steps into someone's kitchen and it's a total mess. The reason they're fighting is because there isn't enough control, there aren't enough staff, and there aren't enough customers. Not problems I have.

My four-year-old daughter Jessie started school last week and it's brilliant. Anything to get her out of the house. She's been excited about it all summer and was wearing her school uniform throughout the holidays, even popping down for dinner in it. My wife does the school run; I would love to but I have to leave early to get to work. Chefs' hours are tough to combine with parenthood, but I always try to watch my sons play football on Saturday morning. My job is a way of life and my family have to work around me.

I'm busy changing the menu at my restaurant at The Berkeley in Knightsbridge to help promote British food. On our new tasting menu everything, including all the wine, is from this country. It's very much the duty of chefs today to focus on seasonality and locality. We can and should support small suppliers - we can use their produce to keep them in business.

I recently opened The Gilbert Scott at St Pancras, serving my version of British cuisine. As Gordon Ramsay's partner for many years, I've opened a lot of restaurants, but I still feel the pressure. It's hard to get people to understand the concept at The Gilbert Scott, a high-end British take on a brasserie; critics especially seem to miss it. We know when they are in the restaurant because they are mostly public figures now, on television and radio; celebrities in their own right. Some restaurateurs get very nervous when they see one come through the door but I've grown out of that. They are like every other customer and if you treat them differently, you're setting yourself up for a massive fall. I never read reviews but there are certain critics I respect. Giles Coren has been fantastic, and Adrian Gill gave me a really hard time when we opened but he really does know food, so fair enough. As for Gordon... he hasn't visited the restaurant and I doubt he ever will. We don't talk any more. ES
(marcus-wareing.com)