To make a full-blooded puff pastry, you need time, you need patience, and you need precision. It's all about the lamination: it's all about building up the layers of butter, dough, butter, dough; as the butter melts, it creates steam, and that brings up the layers of the two doughs apart from each other, and that's what gives it the rise.

Years ago, I saw a job for head baker for The Dorchester Hotel in London, and I didn't want to move away from the North West. But then I thought, 'I've got to do this for my career,' because I was very ambitious. So I went for it and got the job.

I find dealing with tempered chocolate a bit tricky, but that's a chocolatier's job. So I dabble, but I wouldn't profess to be good at it.

My first job at the bakery was jamming doughnuts.

I train about six days a week. I'm training at the same intensity as I did when I was playing football. I've done it for my entire life, and I love it.

Buying involves decision-making. It's a performance activity, like sports or acting.

If I'm on holiday, I'm active on the beach, I play tennis, I run, I swim a lot. It's just about making the workouts fun, I think, and then it doesn't really feel that bad.

Everyone's got talent at the level we're at. But being a smart, tough football player - there's a huge premium for that.