A Napoleonic choir boy

1. What was your best subject at school?

History

2. What was your first job?

Choir boy

3. What was your first job in catering?

An apprentice for a pâtissier at the age of 131/2

4. What do you normally have for breakfast?

Gallons of very weak coffee

5. What do you do to relax?

Allow the dogs to take me for a walk or go fishing

6. Which is your favourite restaurant?

Too many to be listed

7. What is your favourite drink?

Champagne

8. What ingredient do you hate the most?

Coriander

9. What do you always carry with you?

My brains, hopefully

10. How would you best describe the appearance of your desk?

Very tidy, I have an excellent PA

11. Which person in catering have you most admired?

Lord Forte

12. Who gave you the greatest inspiration?

My family

13. If you were a castaway on a desert island, what luxury would you take?

A few potatoes and a frying pan

14. What daily newspapers do you read?

The Financial Times, The Times and the Evening Standard

15. If not yourself, who would you rather have been?

Napoleon - or, better, Wellington!

16. If you hadn't gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?

I could have been a priest

17. Where and when was your last holiday?

Last year - fishing in Iceland

18. Tell us a secret…

No!!

19. What irritates you most about hotels?

Bad service

20. When was the last time you had a hamburger?

Two weeks ago - I had a Whopper!