Well, you asked for it.

The pictures from the big Sunday Mercury fashion shoot, that is.

So here they are.

Purnell and Burloux : supermodels.

Bonjour!

Ha ha...oh, OK then!

Difficult to register when you've just been battered during a sparring session with some amateurs from the British team at the Priory gym!

If any of you didn't know, I'll be fighting on May 1 in a charity bout to raise cash for research into teenage cancer.

If anyone would like to see me getting punched in the face, then this will be an opportunity! Contact Fight Fit gym for tickets.

To learn more about the Teenage Cancer Trust, click here.

It's been a great start to the year.

Obviously, the Michelin star was big news, but there was also the Decanter restaurant of the year, our third Rosette and the success of the Great British Menu.

I'll be hoping to fly the flag again for us Brummies!

So I'll be needing your support!

I've also been doing some modelling. Yes, you read that right!

Watch out for a fashion shoot featuring me and Jean-Benoit in the Sunday Mercury on April 19. You won't want to miss it.

Promise.

Went down to the Blues game on Monday with not a penny in my pocket. Stupid fans started throwing coins, and I left with a tenner!

It was a great atmosphere down there but unfortunately it was marred by idiots.

Still, it's great to see the Blues flying high - it would be great to see them win the title.

Anyway, I'm off to soak my face in some ice as it's a little swollen

Those young kids can't half hit...

Cheers Chief!

******* hell...please stop the world I need to get off! It's been so busy since Christmas that I haven't had the time to do my blog. Rumours are true though: I'm back!
 
Just out of interest, has anybody missed me??!

Sprouts, more sprouts and even more sprouts.

I'm just waiting for an Asian chef to go on Central News to make a sprout curry!

I'm 33 years old and I vow never to eat a sprout ever again.

If they're green, then they're undercooked and rock hard.

If they're overcooked they smell as if someone farted in a carrier bag, left it in there and released it just about as when you are about to eat it.

Most festive food is f*****g 'ard work.

Lucky for me after Xmas I'll be taking the family off to Portugal, eating lots of fish - nice light food - and making room for a few extra beers!

Unfortunately I'll be missing one of the Blues games, but maybe I'll be able to find an English bar that will show the game.

That is, if they know who Birmingham City are.

If they don't I'll be making it a certainty to let them know who they are!

Now just waiting for the big day.

Really looking forward to seeing my sons face on Xmas day and if I'm in a really good mood I may even slip a sprout in!

Oliver keeps asking me why I keep on wearing pants to bed, so I think he will be getting me a pair of pyjamas!

Obviously in the Purnell house things will be a little different as Rudolph will be getting Vichy Carrots and father Xmas will get a Richard Hennessy Cognac!

Keep spending....

Cheers chief!

We spoke last week about the festivity starting at Purnell's - specifically our school trip to the German market.

The consumption of German sausage, beer, cold noses and blue toes!

But you really know when you're a grown-up at Christmas, when you get the chance to see your son in his first nativity play.

Oliver had the main role - he was the Shepherd.

I think this was the star role, at any rate.

Forget Joseph, forget Mary.

And that certainly wasn't an angel. I've never seen a ginger angel before.

Anyway, we've been practising the song and I think that we've got it boxed.

Well, not me but my son.

I'll just stick to Shepherd's Pie.

Talking about grown up, I'm clearly not!

I still think I'm 15 years old and not 33.

The other night I heard there was snow on the way. I woke up every hour to see whether we were covered in the white stuff!

It would be great just to get a little covering before Xmas as we'll be flying off just after afterwards.

Anyway, here's hoping for a white (oh, and a blue) Christmas. Three points on Saturday will be a good start...

Cheers Chief!

Last Sunday Me and my family A.K.A my entourage went to the German market with two buggies, sister in law, the wife, the kids, the sous-chef, the chef de-partie, the restaurant manager...

It was one of the coldest and wettest days ever recorded in Birmingham's history. My hand was so cold by holding a pint of German beer. Sometimes I'd almost forgotten that I had the beer in my hand as they were so cold!

But then there was a ray of sunshine...I thought I was in the south of France. Why you ask?

Good morning,
 
First of all I just wanted to say how sorry I am for having missed the last couple of weeks. I've been slightly under the cosh...
 
By the looks of it so is Birmingham city - we've been rough for the last couple of weeks. Obviously I was glad to see us beat Chalton and Swansea even though we did it the hard way.
 
Still seating in the second position even though we're not playing that well...so the best is still to come! Listen to me the optimistic Blues fan!

Feeling a bit rough for the last couple of weeks as i still try to shake off bout of man flu.
 
Talking about bouts, I've had a couple of hit and miss session due to my man flu but things are still looking good.

It's (boxing) actually now on the 28th November. So once again the press has got something wrong - this isn't the first time!
 
Just like to mention that the fight is an exhibition fight representing Neil Perkins Fight Fit Gym.

Also, it's an opportunity for mine and Kevin's trainer, Wayne Evans, to show off the coaching skills which are happening down at the gym.

Just a few words about my opponent, Kevin Saunders, who is a local barrister who is actually one of the good guys in the court room as he defends rather than prosecutes.

One might call him a people's champ. We had our last bottle of beer together last Friday night as we will both stop drinking for a month before and ready for the fight. We are planning after the fight to have a big night out!
 
Things are going really well at the restaurant at the minute. Bookings are really picking up for the Christmas period so if you'd like to book up before it's too late!
 
Cheers Chief!

* PS This picture is not me!!

HALLOWEEN is coming and bonfire night too...one of my favourite times of the year. We've had some fantastic pumpkin in, which we're roasted in wedges glazed in orange.

We serve them with some beautiful English in season red Mullet. This is served with brown sugar, capers, anchoives and feta cream. Also we're well into the venison season.

The meat tastes gamier, richer and the sauce is made out of all the trimmings resembling that we are in the middle of the game season. The temperature has slightly dropped outside and both dishes are now flying out.

We've also been putting a couple of Veloutes on the lunch menu...I'm not a soup fan but we do it a little different at Purnells.

Plenty of mackerel which we're curing served with purple potatoes, apples and rock chives...again another dish on the menu that is representing the season.

It's so important that we stick to seasons. If you're a chef and you have strawberries on the menu, then look at yourself in the mirror, then call yourself a chef.

Cause you're clearly full of sh**!

I really try to stick to seasons, it's just important that we do that. The younger generation of chefs and customers understand so that we do not lose our heritage. Even though we can get strawberries and asparagus in January. The flavour just isn't there.

What you should do is to go down your local grocer, butcher and fishmonger and ask them what is in season. You'll see that it will be the most reasonable price because there is plenty on offer - this is reflected on the price and you could get a few good bargains.

So, dress up like a witch and shoot off a few fireworks in the kitchen and enjoy the season.

Cheers chief!

I was invited to an award ceremony in London and on a Monday. Spoke to my old head chef Claude Bosi who's now down in London. He told me to meet him at 7.30pm and also told me that Sat was going to meet us and go to the awards.

After that it all went a little pear shaped...

I had a text off Sat saying to meet him at the Champagne bar at the St Pancras.

So I Meet him and he had all of his suit cases and stuff and said that he wasn't going to the awards and I thought, 'what the f***' - it's all gone wrong!'