The first kitchen I worked in, everything you couldn't use went straight in the bin. Thai cuisine changed that for me. Here's what Farang actually does with the parts most kitchens throw away.

The call came on a Tuesday. The Royal Thai Embassy wanted to know if I'd be interested in cooking a demonstration for Thailand's Prime Minister during her official UK visit. I said yes before I'd finished reading the sentence.

The fishmonger texts me at dawn. Not every morning, but often enough that I check my phone before I've had a coffee. Sometimes it's a load of British mackerel just landed. That's what working with suppliers who care actually looks like.

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.

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.