Revelations: Oli Martin
Oli Martin, head chef, Hipping Hall, Cumbria
What was your best subject at school?
What was your first job?
Paperboy
What was your first job in catering?
Potwash at Chicory restaurant in Lytham
What do you normally have for breakfast?
Quadruple espresso
Which is your favourite restaurant?
One of the best meals I've had was at Akrame, Paris
What is your favourite drink?
Estrella Inedit, at the moment
What is your favourite cuisine?
Thai food or anything spicy
Are there any ingredients that you refuse to cook with?
I hate cheap black pudding
What flavour combinations do you detest? Chocolate and chilli
What do you always carry with you?
A Sharpie pen
How would you describe your desk?
A clipboard next to my chopping board
Which person in catering have you most admired?
Grant Achatz
Which person gave you the greatest inspiration? My first head chef, Steven Shepherd, was the first to push me
If not yourself, who would you rather have been? Justin Timberlake
Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?
A boat
When and where was your last holiday?
Budapest, Hungary, in January
Tell us a secret…
I'm a chocoholic, I can't get enough - it's dangerous
What irritates you most about the industry?
People wanting to start at the top without putting the work in to get there
What's your favourite film?
The Shawshank Redemption
What's your favourite book?
Anything by Terry Pratchett