McAndrew says readers will not experience a ‘journey or a curated highlight reel’ but they will find reality in those old hotel kitchens, the ‘madness of small touches’ that become your whole life and the sort of moments that teach you standards and the hard way, when ingredient cost more than your weekly wage.

Speaking about the autobiography, McAndrew said: “People love the shiny bits: the plates, the tweezers, the applause. But the real story of a chef’s life lives in the less glamorous places: the larder at five in the morning, the burns you don’t mention, the daft mistakes that nearly end you, the moments of pride you’d never admit to at the pass. This book is those bits.

“It starts where mine started: not with a grand culinary vision, but with a teenage lad trying to dodge metalwork and ending up in cookery by accident. From there it’s proper graft through big brigades, proper standards, and the sort of kitchen pressure that makes you either better or broken. Sometimes both.

“There are stories in there that still make me wince. A few that still make me laugh. And plenty that will make any working chef nod slowly and mutter, ‘Yep. Been there’.”

Early supporters discount of £5 on the printed edition. Use the code ‘Books5‘ at checkout. To purchase the autobiography or for more information visit here.