Gordon Ramsay

When we read biographies, we all want honesty. Humble Pie delivers this - Ramsay doesn't hold back on personal issues and struggles with members of his family, rivals in the industry, or other personal grievances. He admits when he did "jerk moments" in his youth and when he did the wrong thing. He admits not noticing a friend's drug habit before it was too late, and he admits wanting to build boundaries toward his brother because of the continuous and draining heroin addiction.

The writing show more style is straight forward, like a conversation you'd have about a topic, expletives included. It's divided into sections, starting with his childhood and volatile relationship toward his father. He goes in chronological order, which makes sense in every autobiography but that isn't always followed when celebrities pen their memoirs.

His childhood was fascinating stuff and explained much. His animosity toward his father still seems strong, which is warranted, and it seems much wasn't resolved before the man's death years ago. This wasn't on the fault of Ramsay, however, as it just seems to be the way things go. The chapter with his brother Ronnie and the heroin addiction was painful. He mentions that he has been ostracized in the public regarding his brother, including his brother accepting money from tabloids to "sell him out" in order to ensure another fix. He brings up things his brother did to him in response to aid. I sympathize. It's hard living with an addict relative, and sometimes we do have to put up walls to stop the vampiric draining that feeds an endless cycle of self-absorption and self-sabotage. He even includes a tidbit about the woman who is claiming to be his half-sister he had never heard of, and how he disapproved of the way she approached it with media.

He has a section called "War" which speaks of his battles with starting his restaurants and all the cut-throat competition and double-crossing which went on. He speaks of his beginning growths and experiences through various cities and avenues, including an interesting section spent on a private yaught that ended in tragedy/death for a particular co-worker. The section titled "War" lives up to his name. It's almost like a mini-mafia with some of the double crossing, people choosing sides, blacklisting names, lawsuits. Good grief, such pressure!

Some of the situations in the training in the kitchen he encountered when he was young sounded traumatic in written form - I couldn't imagine putting up with it myself. You really must be motivated and to live for cooking to put up for that sort of abuse. Not to sound callous, but I wonder if the abuse he suffered through with his father numbed him a bit to that kind of attitude and physical manhandling in the kitchen. Not to where it's acceptable, but to where he could survive it and not give up where others would have?

He speaks of his family often, including meeting his wife and admitting jealousy of his mate who had her first. I had no idea they had their children through IVF treatment and that chefs suffered from low sperm count because of the heat in the kitchen after so many years. He brings up being criticized for never changing diapers or being at the birth of any of his children - again, brutal honesty and the direct approach to criticism.

I can't connect with Ramsay when it comes to his total dedication and almost obsessive ambition, since that's not a personality trait I carry. What I can do is connect with him over his points of life, friends, family, and situations. I found the behind-the-scenes industry experiences informative, and the build-up from a horrible childhood to a productive adulthood inspiring. He shows there are still struggles and failures, and that this is life and not a fairy tale.

Since these sections are told with frank honesty, even painting himself in a negative light in a few places as long as he's being forthcoming, it's intriguing stuff. The writing style is spot-on and easily digestible. Humble Pie speaks of his shows at the end of the book, but this is emphasizing his life stories and his growth into the chef he has now become.

Highly recommended for fans of autobiographies or Ramsay. show less

I read a lot of cookbooks and do a lot of cooking, and I have watched some of Gordon Ramsay's cooking shows (i.e "Cooking Nightmares," "Hotel Hell," and "Hell's Kitchen") so I'm familiar with his personality and style. This book revealed a kinder, gentler Ramsay, I'm happy to report. The recipes in this book were easy to follow, and the concept of being able to prepare them in 10 minutes(!) was too good to pass up. Even if it takes you longer than 10 minutes, it's still going to be less than show more a half hour. Who doesn't want dinner on the table "in a flash"? (That's the book's tag line). Additionally, these recipes promised to be full of flavor and they weren't the same dishes you see in every other "fast cooking" cookbook.

Another intriguing aspect was that the book evolved from the pandemic lockdown. Ramsay says in the introduction, "Then in March 2020 the world went into lockdown, and instead of sending a camera crew round to Gino D'Acampo's house, I ended up challenging myself while staying at home in Cornwall in the UK. My daughters were in charge of lighting and filming, and the dishes were our family favourites, all made with the ingredients we could get hold of locally."

Each recipe is accompanied by a full color photo, shot by professional photographer Jamie Orlando Smith, and there were several I marked that I'd like to make. One thing about the book that I enjoyed was the use of British/European terms and words - with translations for Americans. (i.e. rocket instead of arugula, heritage instead of heirloom veggies). And he adds little shortcuts and helpful "chef's tips" throughout that make you feel like he's really thinking about the reader.

This is a cookbook that will inspire you again or for the first time, and would also make a great gift. show less

I may be several years late to the Gordon Ramsay party, but in my defense, he is still rocking it as much as ever. I enjoyed reading this book and learning a little more about his life. It's bloody funny in places, too. Some of the chapters were a bit sporadic: the chapter devoted to the women in his life talked more about his children than mother or wife, but then, I guess that's because Ramsay is a gentleman. You'll find little in here about Tana or their personal lives together, and I show more respect that.

Three stars for the book, but certainly five stars for Gordon Ramsay. show less

I really enjoyed this book, which was quite surprising as I didn't know what to expect! Gordon Ramsay has this expected persona of being very arrogant, pushy and rude!
This is not the way he came across at all! He does seem to have the desire and will to succeed, as he certainly seems to have done. He also comes across as wanting the very best for his family, (which is no bad thing) whilst not making it too easy for them.
I have had my eyes opened reading this book, and have a new found show more respect for the man. show less