Britain's relationship with chilli used to be simple. There was curry, which came in mild, medium or hot, and there was vindaloo, which existed as a dare. Then came the heat challenge era. That's not what chilli is for.

We got a one-star review last year from someone who never made it past the front door. They tried to walk in on a Friday night without a booking, the restaurant was full, they left. Half an hour later: one star. "Wouldn't seat us. Very rude." We'd never met.

It's late January 2020, and the team and I are heading to Bangkok for a week. By March we had twenty-five staff in a very expensive empty building and no income plan. We went from hero to zero in a matter of hours. This is how Farang weathered it.

There is no scripted way to open a restaurant. In my short few years opening Farang, I have made many mistakes. Some respectable, some just outright bonkers. With the right frame of mind, they've all taught me something.