Generally a chef's book is like a calling card or a portfolio to display their personal work.

A lot of people love the idea of improvising but are terrified of it, so I tried to make a book that was not a chef's book about improvising but a real home cook's book with a real home cook's pantry, supermarket ingredients, that sort of thing.

To write a book about improvisation is partly a contradiction in terms. Improvisation is spontaneous. It's in the moment.

This book is pointing the way into it for people that see it as daunting or a mystery. Some people just do it, but others need help with the mindset, permission almost to listen to themselves. Understanding how things work is the key.

The restaurant chefs in Spain are breaking ground, but in terms of the everyday cooking in Spain I still hear people coming back and saying they were disappointed. I think it's because they're expecting the chef stuff.

There are so many things that come into writing a recipe, and it's really important if you're writing for home cooks to be cooking like you are at home.