Gordon Ramsay is not known for mincing his words, so it should come as no surprise to learn that writing up an interview with the outspoken chef is akin to devising an elaborate game of “fill in the blanks”. Nor, that he is raising his four children in the same strict, no-nonsense style in which he runs his kitchens. Though it’s perhaps somewhat unexpected to learn that they are rarely allowed to eat in his restaurants.

“I’ve never been really turned on about the money,” he tells me in a break from filming his new daytime TV cookery show (now this is a surprise, which we’ll come back to). “That’s not my number one objective, and that’s reflected in the way the kids are brought up.

“Last time we went to Royal Hospital Road [Ramsay’s three Michelin starred flagship restaurant in Chelsea] was for Megan’s 16th birthday, and that was the first time we’ve ever eaten there with the kids. They have served the Chelsea pensioners there for Christmas lunch, but not eaten there.”