Ramsay has described his early life as “hopelessly itinerant”, as his family moved constantly due to the aspirations and failures of his father, who was violent. in past public interviews, Ramsay has declined to describe his father as an alcoholic; however, his autobiography, Humble Pie, describes his early life as being marked by abuse and neglect from this “hard-drinking womaniser”. Ramsay continued to train and play on the injured knee, tearing a cruciate ligament during a squash game. He never fully recovered from the double injury. He describes his decision to enter catering college as “an accident, a complete accident”. in the late 1980s, he worked as a commis chef at the Roxburgh House Hotel, then ran the kitchen and 60-seat dining room at the Wickham Arms, until his sexual relationship with the owner’s wife made the situation difficult.