  Growing up with dad has been an experience.  He has shown me many things, and taken me to many places, of which I am extremely thankful
 Weirdly, he didn’t want me to follow him into the kitchen. Fathers Day: 14 poems and inspirational quotes to celebrate your dad He only ever gave me one cooking tip when I was doing my GCSE revision – he came into the kitchen at home after a few ‘shandies’ and showed me how to slice bread, which was weird
  But I knew quite soon after I left home that I had learnt an enormous amount vicariously
  I have a lot to thank him for on Father’s Day, but most importantly is my love of travel and food and how these two combine to make the world a far more colourful and interesting place to inhabit
  My world view is based on his approach to the people and cultural impact of food, sharing history and ingredients with each other
 In fact, the new show that I am currently filming around the world is basically his world view, borrowed by me
    I have to say, it is great to say that your dad is your hero, both culinary and in real life
 He really is like his TV persona; he is kind and funny and can cook like no one else
  In my twenties, I thought I was going to change the world as a chef, and looked up to the likes of Ferran Adria and Heston as people I wanted to emulate
 Then I realised what I should have known all along – that dad’s vision for food was the one
  His famous quote is ‘fresh fish simply cooked’ and he hasn’t changed throughout the years
 He keeps cooking from the heart, sourcing the best ingredients and not messing with them too much
  He has always loved whole fish, and uses world influences with the best British products (I have ‘borrowed’ this idea for my book, World On A Plate, which is out in July #endplug)
  He’s also advocated the massive importance of siting down and eating together.  These are ideas he has held ever since I have known him, and he is absolutely correct
  I remember listening to Professor Sarah Jayne Blakemore, the daughter of scientist and friend of my uncle, Sir Colin Blakemore, and she gave the best explanation of what it’s like to have a famous dad
    She said that it has enabled her to achieve things she couldn’t have achieved without the surname, such as studying and interning in world class scientific institutions
  This is how I feel; I embrace the fact that dad has achieved so much and it has helped my career
 I have been able to spend time with the greatest chefs in the world because of dad, and that I am very thankful for
  My career exists because of the 45 years dad has spent working his ass off to get to where he is
 This is all coming as I approach the birth of my first child with my partner Lucy, who also has a famous dad – a notable film director from Australia
  I only hope that when my son is old enough to celebrate Father’s Day, he will look at what I have achieved because of my dad with the same amount of pride that I look at mine
  Good on you Rick! Happy Father’s Day.        
