Renowned chef Gordon Ramsay loves India and its diverse culture, and he says he would like to open a restaurant here one day.

"There are very few countries in the world that have such unique diverse flavours from north to south and then east to west. Every state, every region in India has its own speciality in food. I have been coming to India for so many years, and every time I explore something new. It's the love of local people that compels me to visit the country again and again. I really want to open my restaurant for the Indian people in India," Ramsay told IANS.

The Michelin-star chef was in Coorg, one of the most serene hill stations in South India, shooting for the second season of National Geographic's "Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted", before Covid-19 paralysed the world. He had cooked famous pandi curry for local women in Coorg. He also shot portions of the show in Kerala.

"The south is all about spices and it felt amazing to smell the fragrances of those masalas. It was an incredible experience visiting India this time. I shot with local female cooks. Trust me, they are far, far better than me. In fact, I was surprised to see how they were not sweating while cooking in such hot climate," he shared.

Ramsay also emphasised on the need of introducing subjects related to food and cooking in schools.

"I wake up every day and I think about sustainability. I think about seasonal cooking, and I think about the healthy aspects, being a father of five. I think about diabetes, in terms of making sure that we have the correct sugar levels, with children growing up. I think about the educational part of food, how much confidence it gives to youngsters. Every time it's not about getting an A star in English or an A-plus in French. Sometimes things like cooking can also give confidence when you're young. It is as important as learning English or math," he said.

"Looking after yourself and your eating habits is important. Cooking should be an example in many schools for boosting students' confidence and making them understand how to look after their well-being. That's welfare. And this is a big agenda for me this year, to encourage more people to cook and talk and have the best conversations with your loved ones around the table," Ramsay added.

(Simran Sethi can be contacted at Simran.s@ians.in)