Living the good life

1. What was your best subject at school?

Geography, I suppose, although my academic career was fairly pathetic

2. What was your first job?

Painting narrow boats on the River Wey

3. What was your first job in catering?

I was a "cockroach", whoops, I mean commis waiter at Claridge's

4. What do you normally have for breakfast?

Lots of strong coffee or occasionally a bacon sandwich if I can justify it

5. What do you do to relax?

Spend time with Judy, my wife, at home. Have an informal supper and a good bottle of wine

6. Which is your favourite restaurant?

Clarke's in Kensington, London

7. What is your favourite drink?

Champagne before dinner, Calvados after dinner and an ice-cold beer on a sunny afternoon

8. Which ingredient do you hate most?

Tasteless tomatoes

9. What do you always carry with you?

A corkscrew

10. How would you describe your desk?

A mess

11. Which person in catering have you most admired?

Martin Skan for his single-minded and relentless quest for perfection

12. Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

Bob Payton - for his innovation and willingness to turn tradition on its head

13. Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?

A case of good Burgundy such as Dujacs Chambolle-Musigny and a few bottles of nice olive oil for cooking

14. What daily newspapers do you read?

The Independent

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

Sir Ranulph Fiennes

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

Working in motor racing I hope

17. Describe your ultimate nightmare?

To be told by my doctor I can't eat good food or drink good wine any more

18. Where and when was your last holiday?

Provence, last August

19. What irritates you about hotels?

Pretentiousness

20. When did you last eat a hamburger?

I took my two boys last Saturday to Burger King