What was your first industry job?
I was a kitchen porter at a local pub, not of the gastro variety. The kitchen team were absolutely lovely, but scrubbing Maggi gravy from a stock pan wasn’t fun. That experience taught me that the KP is the most important part of a kitchen.
If you weren’t in kitchens, what would you do?
If I could go back in time, I’d give 14-year-old Will one of the guitars I have now, in the hope he’d join a metal band.
What industry figure do you most admire, and why?
Ollie Dabbous. I had the honour of working for him when HIDE won its star. His palate and creativity are unlike anything else I’ve seen, but what stuck with me most is his demeanour – especially when operating at that level and at a restaurant as busy as HIDE is. Close second is Remy from Ratatouille. He also has an obviously incredible palate.
What’s your pet hate in the kitchen?
Messy floors.
What’s the oddest thing a customer has said to you?
I had a guest once ask me if the kitchen team said ‘Oui, chef’ because that’s what they say on The Bear.
Sum up your cooking style in a single sentence
As seasonal as I can get, the best quality I can get, cooked simply but with max flavour.
What’s the worst review you’ve ever had?
I don’t really pay much attention to bad reviews. I much prefer to double down on the good ones and keep doing whatever they enjoyed.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?
Go work in the restaurants you enjoy eating at. And be better than you were yesterday. If you do that, in 10 years’ time you’ll be a superstar.
Which single item of kitchen equipment could you not live without?
Not necessarily a piece of kitchen equipment, but my phone. I use it for everything – taking notes, calculating, comms, taking pictures. If I didn’t have my phone, I wouldn’t be able to get through the day.
What would you choose to eat for your last meal?
Whatever, so long as I’m with my wife.
À la carte or tasting menu?
À la carte all day. Tasting menus are good, but they always feel a little sluggish.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had in a restaurant?
I was in a little village called Palairos, about two hours north of Athens, with my wife and her family, and sat in a small taverna. We were the only table there and the restaurant only opened when the chef could be bothered – and had something to cook. We sat for hours and ate grilled lamb, pork and kokoretsi (kind of an offal skewer, wrapped in intestine and cooked on a spit until crispy), potatoes roasted in the animal fat, and a super-fresh, lightly dressed salad, and drank jugs and jugs of house-made wine. I tried to take a picture of the restaurant, but by the time I’d left I’d drunk so much that all the photos came out blurry.
What’s your favourite fast food joint?
McDonald’s. The double cheeseburger is pound-for-pound the greatest burger on the planet. A sausage and egg McMuffin is a thing of beauty too.
What’s the dish you wish you’d thought of?
Frangipane tart.
MasterChef or Great British Menu?
MasterChef Australia, if that counts. I like a big budget.
What’s the most overrated food?
Avocado. It sucks.
You’re restaurant dictator for a day – what would you ban?
Sticky labels on tubs. Green tape is much cleaner.
Who would your dream dinner party guests be?
James Hetfield, David Blaine, Alex Albon and the Queen of Latin, Shirley Ballas.
What’s your earliest food memory?
It’s the simplest thing, but when the weather started to turn cold my mum used to make us leek and potato soup. I used to plough it with salt, pepper and wholegrain mustard that I’d raided from the cupboards. It’s still one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten. As corny as it sounds, it’s probably because it was cooked with love.
TikTok or Instagram?
Instagram, for sure. My brother sends me reels on a daily basis, so if I ever go off it I’ll get FOMO.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to death?
Thankfully, not very. Though a couple of weeks into working at Sticky Walnut I rushed my prep and sliced the end of my finger off on a meat slicer. I nearly died of embarrassment.
Where do you go when you want to let your hair down?
The Black Heart in Camden. They have some great beers from a brewery called Saint Monday, and Fernet to bring me back to the living. They always have a great playlist and a Metallica pinball machine that I’m trying to get the high score on.
What’s your tipple of choice?
I’d start with a freezer gin martini with a twist, a couple of Saint Monday APAs, then a bourbon from somewhere I’ve never heard of.
What’s your favourite food and drink pairing?
At The Barbary, I put on a walnut and orange blossom baklawa that the mega FOH team paired with Roots Kanela – a cinnamon tsipouro made in Athens from natural Greek botanicals. It was absolutely ace.
What do you consider to be your signature dish?
One of the tastiest things I’ve cooked recently is a salt-baked pork collar, cooked until just done, then sliced into rondelles and charred over a barbecue. I served it with a prune gastrique made with chardonnay vinegar and a sauce of pork bones finished with fermented celeriac.