John Whaite Quotes

John Whaite

Profession : Chef

Birth : May 23, 1989

Ever since I was a little lad, the sun has seemed to shine during my birthday weekend.

John Whaite

We hear a lot about this phrase 'toxic masculinity' but I think the real poison in manhood is silence.

John Whaite

As a farmer's son, I've always been forced to eat vegetables.

John Whaite

Life shouldn't be about arbitrary power, for power's sake, but about respect, mutuality, decency.

John Whaite

Addiction to the razzle dazzle came naturally to the youthful me.

John Whaite

Food technology classes at school were so dull. Even as a 14-year-old going through the ignorance of my black-nailed 'goth' phase, my interest in food was much deeper than those shop-bought pizza bases we were instructed to haul in and smother with tomato puree and ready-grated mozzarella.

John Whaite

There is a lot of toxic masculinity around.

John Whaite

As a farmer's son, I am familiar with the long, mucky shifts of our dairy workers.

John Whaite

Porridge, for me, has always been of the Scottish variety: salted, and for breakfast. The idea of claggy oatmeal mixed with hollandaise and a runny poached egg is almost nauseating.

John Whaite

I was a 23-year-old law student when I won the 'Great British Bake Off' in 2012. For 10 weeks I had balanced my degree finals with the tension and scrutiny inside the white tent (not to mention a few nights out here and there).

John Whaite

I had zero interest in banking, but the mountainous pile of legal training contract rejections forced me to look elsewhere. As a malleable graduate, I, as many students do, took whatever I could get.

John Whaite

When the post-'GBBO' media frenzy began I gladly quit my job. I darted up and down the country, heading to meetings with publishing houses.

John Whaite

I had been offered a six-figure deal to write two cookery books. Six figures, at just 23.

John Whaite

My body image as I grew up was very difficult... I was so conscious of being fat. But one thing I was aware of as being problematic for 12, 14 years was overeating and then purging.

John Whaite

Especially as a chef, I didn't really want to talk about it because I felt like it kind of undermined my entire career. How can a chef who writes recipes and books and cooks on TV, how can he realistically have bulimia?

John Whaite

In my family, depression is spoken of in hushed tones. As farmers we have always ploughed through our feelings.

John Whaite

As a child my life was shrouded by fear. Every night I would crawl into the alcove outside my sisters' bedrooms and sleep on the floor, just to feel as though I wasn't alone.

John Whaite

Caring for animals is immensely grounding. Who you are and what you may have means nothing to them. The only way to their hearts is through responsibility, routine and love.

John Whaite

As a depressive, routine is sand slipping through my fingers. Being self-employed doesn't help.

John Whaite

When I started to use fewer ingredients in my cooking, I was reminded of the uncomplicated flavours of my childhood.

John Whaite