A great proponent of organic produce, Thompson believes that science should never overshadow food.

Born on May Day 1951 to a pair of busy stage actors, Antony Worrall Thompson spent little of his formative years with his parents. Often, he was left with people who did not know how to cook, which led him to an interest in the culinary arts.

Thompson was just four years of age when he first attempted a dish in the kitchen, and devoted much of his early life to reading countless cookbooks and eating out at numerous restaurants. He was only 28 when he spent half a year in France working and eating at some Michelin rated restaurants.

In 1981, Thompson opened the famed Ménage a Trois to critical acclaim. The restaurant, located on the fashionable strip of Knightsbridge to the west of London, was known to serve only starters and puddings.

At the time, the culinary trend in Europe was driven by nouvelle cuisine, of which the self-taught chef was a leading advocate. But the Thompson of today is less manipulative in his cooking and becoming in tune with what nature has to offer. Says the champion of organic farming, "When you're young, you're excited about cooking that's different; nouvelle cuisine was very exciting in the 1980s. But as I get older, I find inspiration in the use of natural and seasonal produce.  At one time, I was one of the leaders of molecular cuisine, but now I look back and think, ‘What planet was I on?'"

While Thompson readily acknowledges the ‘good bits' of the so-called molecular gastronomy movement - the perfection of slow-cooking at low temperature is one fine example - he is also careful to emphasise balance. "Don't get me wrong, molecular cuisine is exciting, but it's almost as if science is taking over food. Chefs often feel they have to push the envelope... but one day, they will all wake up and say, ‘What I really want to eat is a plate of pata negra, a hunk of cheese, and a glass of wine.'"

Thompson will be participating in this year's World Gourmet Summit, where he will be hosted at Stellar by the restaurant's group executive chef Christopher Millar, who once trained under Thompson himself. When asked what he will be presenting to the diners, he discloses, "Now that I have reached the ripe, old age of 60, I might want to do a retrospect of my life." Millar is not the only assistant Thompson has with him; his wife Jacinta will join him.

"To use an old cliché, she's my rock. I rely on her a lot."

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