Product Description

Everyone thinks they know the real Gordon Ramsay: rude, loud, pathologically driven, stubborn as hell. But this is his bestselling real story...Humble Pie tells the full story of how he became the world's most famous and infamous chef: his difficult childhood, his brother's heroin addiction and his failed first career as a footballer: all of these things have made him the celebrated culinary talent and media powerhouse that he is today. Gordon talks frankly about: / his tough childhood: his father's alcoholism and violence and the effects on his relationships with his mother and siblings, / his first career as a footballer: how the whole family moved to Scotland when he was signed by Glasgow Rangers at the age of fifteen, and how he coped when his career was over due to injury just three years later, / his brother's heroin addiction. / Gordon's early career: learning his trade in Paris and London; how his career developed from there: his time in Paris under Albert Roux and his seven Michelin-starred restaurants. / Kitchen life: Gordon spills the beans about life behind the kitchen door, and how a restaurant kitchen is run in Anthony Bourdain-style. / How he copes with the impact of fame on himself and his family: his television career, the rapacious tabloids, and his own drive for success.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36927 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Review
'Gordon Ramsay's Humble Pie - so exuberantly angry boastful, cliche-ridden, expletive-laden and touchingly sincere that I can't believe that a single sentence has been written by anyone but the failed footballer, great cook, telly star and businessman himself. He's the genuine bollocks, as he's so fond of saying, and this is the tale of his personal class struggle.' - The Observer

Irish Examiner
`A mesmerising tale. It reads like a conversation and exudes
personality. Ramsay finds it hard to dodge the f-word, but despite the
defensiveness that comes accross, the book is an inspiration.'

Synopsis
Everyone thinks they know the real Gordon Ramsay: rude, loud, pathologically driven, stubborn as hell. But this is his real story...This is Gordon Ramsay's autobiography - the first time he has told the full story of how he became the world's most famous and infamous chef: his difficult childhood, his brother's heroin addiction, his failed first career as a footballer, his working relationship (and subsequent feud) with Marco Pierre White: all of these things have made him the celebrated culinary talent and media powerhouse that he is today. Gordon talks frankly about: his tough childhood: his father's alcoholism and violence and the effects on his relationships with his mother and siblings; his first career as a footballer: how the whole family moved to Scotland when he was signed by Glasgow Rangers at the age of fifteen, and how he coped when his career was over due to injury just three years later; his brother's heroin addiction: Gordon's brother has a long-documented struggle with drug addiction and has spent time in prison.

Now, he is clean and his real story is told for the first time - Gordon's early career: Gordon was Marco Pierre White's protege at the legendarily brutal kitchen at Harvey's, and now speaks out about the controversial truth behind their falling-out and subsequent feud. Gordon also discusses how his career developed from there: his time in Paris under Albert Roux and his seven Michelin-starred restaurants; kitchen life: Gordon spills the beans about life behind the kitchen door, and how a restaurant kitchen is run in Anthony Bourdain-style; and how he copes with the impact of fame on himself and his family: his television career, the rapacious tabloids, and his own drive for success.

Customer Reviews

In Pursuit of Perfection
Having read Hell's Kitchen I now feel that I understand Gordon Ramsay's personality a little better. His fanatical pursuit of perfection seems to be as a result of his difficult childhood. However I wonder if his constant use of the f word is entirely necessary as all it really shows is lack of vocabulary. This makes me feel that maybe nowadays he continues to use it for effect in print and on the small screen.
He is obviously very passionate about his restaurants and the meals they produce. He admits that the UK is still a long way behind the rest of Europe in terms of decent places to eat outside the big cities, a depressing but true fact. He hopes that things will improve slowly and that he has a part to play in improving the future eating habits of the British.
An enlightening read if you are interested in learning about how Gordon Ramsey came to be the man he is today, a successful chef and businessman.

A very much straight to the point story
This book was bought as a Fathers Day gift, it was a complete surprise and not a book I would have bought for myself. Wow what a surprise, many aspects of Gordon Ramsey's life really have been quite harrowing, but his drive and motivation is what really did it for me. The amount of training he put himself through starting again and again from the bottom and working his way up, if anyone deserves to be where they are today then he does. A good read.

what a refreshing change!
This is a brilliant book! Ramsay writes from the heart! His genuineness makes a refreshing change. How wonderful for an englishman to show his feelings. If you think that you're not interested in the life of a celebrity chef then think again! I don't think it would have mattered what profession ramsey went into he was driven and still is. He's been bullied by his father, marco pierre White and others who are named in the book, but his drive and sheer hard work have got him through.He's also sarcastic and witty and says exactly what he thinks of people, and why not i say?! To hell with political correctness, he's written an honest account about his life and his feelings good or bad. There are some sad bits in the book about his feelings towards his father and his brothers drug addiction, so you do see a sensitive side too. He's an extremely emotional guy and it clearly manifests itself in his loose tongue, but underneath he's a really human, caring guy. A wonderful book that inspires.