Flamboyant chef Ainsley Harriott has notched up fourteen series of Ready Steady Cook, alongside numerous primetime cookery series featuring his fresh, fun and accessible cuisine.

His career started at the age of 16 when Ainsley began training at Westminster College. He went on to become a junior trainee in West End restaurant Verrey's, where he graduated to commis chef, before moving to The Strand Palace.

He continued to work in professional kitchens, including The Dorchester, Brown's, The Hilton, The Westbury, New Bond Street, Café Peilican and Quaglino's.

In 1997, Ainsley's first solo series Barbecue Bible took him around the world, sampling and cooking the very best open-air food. Ainsley's Meals in Minutes, Ainsley's Big Cook Out and Ainsley's Gourmet Express soon followed. Soon after this he became resident presenter on Ready, Steady, Cook. He also presented the one-off BBC show 50 Things to Eat Before You Die, where viewers nominated their favourite dishes of all-time.

Ainsley Harriott photo gallery
Can't Cook Won't Cook, BBC Books, 1997
Barbecue Bible, BBC Books, 2000
The Big Cook Out, BBC Books, 1999
Meals In Minutes, BBC Books, 1999
Gourmet Express, BBC Books, 2002
Low Fat Meals in Minutes, BBC Books, 2002
The Top 100 Recipes from Ready Steady Cook, BBC Books, 2003
Olympic Cookbook, BBC Books, 2004
Ainsley Harriott's All New Meals In Minutes, BBC Books, 2006
The Feel-Good Cookbook, BBC Books, 2006