What was your first industry job?
Washing up and running food.
If you weren’t in kitchens, what would you do?
I studied sculpture, so I’d like to think I’d be putting my degree to good use and practising ceramics.
What industry figure do you most admire, and why?
Steve Williams who I used to work for at 40 Maltby Street. Always feel very lucky I got to learn from him.
What’s your pet hate in the kitchen?
Egos.
What’s the oddest thing a customer has said to you?
I guess that’s a silver lining of a basement kitchen, not many odd customer interactions!
Sum up your cooking style in a single sentence…
Simple and comforting.
What’s the worst review you’ve ever had?
Not one’s gone for me yet, but all in good time I guess!
What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?
Be a sponge, take it all in and absorb as much as you can.
Which single item of kitchen equipment could you not live without?
A microplane! It’s in constant use for nutmeg, horseradish and garlic at July.
What would you choose to eat for your last meal?
Really good bread and salted butter… or dinner at Silk Road in Camberwell - homestyle cabbage, pork and celery dumplings with special lamb noodles.
À la carte or tasting menu?
À la carte.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had in a restaurant?
Feels like an unexpected answer from me, but Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. It was about 10 years ago, and it was the first fine dining experience I ever had. I had just started to think about cooking as a career and I never knew food could taste like that. I just remember thinking it was total magic.
What’s your favourite fast food joint?
Got to be McDonald’s
What’s the dish you wish you’d thought of?
Trifle, don’t know who came up with that madness but you can’t not love it.
MasterChef or Great British Menu?
MasterChef.
What’s the most overrated food?
Burrata.
You’re a restaurant dictator for a day – what would you ban?
Explaining the concept of small plates - I think we all get it by now.
Who would your dream dinner party guests be?
Can’t beat having your best mates or family all around one table.
What’s your earliest food memory?
Cucumber sandwiches on the beach.
Twitter or Instagram?
Instagram.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to death?
Touch wood, nothing close yet.
Where do you go when you want to let your hair down?
The pub.
What’s your tipple of choice?
Guinness.
What’s your favourite food and drink pairing?
Yorkshire tea and buttered toast.
What do you consider to be your signature dish?
Our stuffed quail with prune, pancetta and chicken butter is becoming an all time favourite.