Raw: My Autobiography: The Autobiography [Hardcover]

Worrall Thompson's searing autobiography is likely to cause as much of a stir in the sedate world of haute cuisine as Anthony Bourdain's bestsellers. This is an unflinching story of triumph over adversity on the road to culinary stardom. Sent to boarding school when he was just three, shortly after his parents split up (he didn't see his father for the next 18 years), Worrall Thompson was sexually and physically abused throughout his childhood. He was a rebellious child and frequently in trouble at school. As an adult, Worrall Thompson quickly made his mark as a chef. His flamboyant style as a restaurateur quickly brought him to the attention of cookery's cognoscenti. Raw is a caustic story of food, sex and ambition, and an insight into the world of a controversial and talented chef.

Raw is a damn sight funnier, more interesting and less pretentious than 99 per cent of the competition.

. . . graphic and touching. He is good on his brutal, abusive chiche of a prep school.

The story of this consummate enthusiast is infectious.

The hilarious and controversial autobiography of Britain’s best-loved celebrity chef, revealing the man behind the recipes and lifting the lid on the bizarre world of the food mafia.

Antony Worrall Thompson’s passage to culinary stardom has not exactly been smooth. Abandoned by his father, a Shakespearean actor, when he was just three, Antony was sexually abused and maltreated throughout his childhood. His extra-curricular activities at boarding school included pushing cars into the swimming pool and generally getting on the teacher's nerves.

Antony’s story very nearly came to an abrupt halt at sixteen when his face was crushed in a horrific rugby accident, which left him badly disfigured and chronically insecure. But pioneering surgery saved the day, enabling him to pursue what was to become the enduring love of his life – cooking.

After much hard graft and some close encounters of the violent gangster kind, AWT’s flamboyant style as a restaurateur soon bought him to the attention of cookery’s cognoscenti. Things didn’t always run according to plan, however – he once had to serve tinned tomato soup, tarted up with croutons and basil, to the customers in his restaurant because there wasn’t time to make his own from scratch. (They loved it.) And today Antony is to the culinary establishment what a bull is to a china shop. His no-nonsense style in the kitchen is loathed by a few, but loved by millions.

Stuffed with hugely entertaining anecdotes and lightly sprinkled with AWT’s no-holds-barred opinions, RAW is a heartrendingly honest story of triumph over adversity. Along the way we go behind the scenes with the foodie mafia and Antony lifts the lid on a few triple-Michelin-starred scandals. The knives (and the forks!) are very definitely out ...

The hilarious and controversial autobiography of Britain’s best-loved celebrity chef, revealing the man behind the recipes and lifting the lid on the bizarre world of the food mafia.

Antony Worrall Thompson’s passage to culinary stardom has not exactly been smooth. Abandoned by his father, a Shakespearean actor, when he was just three, Antony was sexually abused and maltreated throughout his childhood. His extra-curricular activities at boarding school included pushing cars into the swimming pool and generally getting on the teachers' nerves.

Antony’s story very nearly came to an abrupt halt at sixteen when his face was crushed in a horrific rugby accident, which left him badly disfigured and chronically insecure. But pioneering surgery saved the day, enabling him to pursue what was to become the enduring love of his life – cooking.

After much hard graft and some close encounters of the violent gangster kind, AWT’s flamboyant style as a restaurateur soon bought him to the attention of cookery’s cognoscenti. Things didn’t always run according to plan, however - he once had to serve tinned tomato soup, tarted up with croutons and basil, to the customers in his restaurant because there wasn’t time to make his own from scratch. (They loved it.) And today Antony is to the culinary establishment what a bull is to a china shop. His no-nonsense style in the kitchen is loathed by a few, but loved by millions.

Stuffed with hugely entertaining anecdotes and lightly sprinkled with AWT’s no-holds-barred opinions, Raw is a heartrendingly honest story of triumph over adversity. Along the way we go behind the scenes with the foodie mafia and Antony lifts the lid on a few triple-Michelin-starred scandals. The knives (and the forks!) are very definitely out . .

Antony Worrall Thompson has made regular appearances on BBC 1’s Ready, Steady, Cook and was the resident chef on Food & Drink on BBC 2. As well as numerous appearances on Radio 4, Antony also writes two weekend columns for the Express and a monthly article for the Grocer. His previous books include The ABC of AWT and Supernosh. He owns a critically acclaimed restaurant in West London, Notting Grill, and starred in ITV's I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!