Chef revelations: Tom Booton, head chef, Alyn Williams at the Westbury, Mayfair, London
What was your first job?
A paper round at 13 years old for £10 a week
What was your first job in catering?
I started at Le Talbooth restaurant in Colchester in 2008, working weekends while I was in school
What do you normally have for breakfast?
What do you do to relax?
Spend time with my girlfriend, Rachel
Which is your favourite restaurant?
Smoking Goat is definitely the whole team's fave restaurant
What's your favourite hotel?
Claridge's always blows my mind when I enter it, so much history - very cool
What is your favourite drink?
It has to be a pint - preferably Camden Hells
What is your favourite food/cuisine?
Indian cuisine is my favourite - I love the depth of flavour you can get in a curry
Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?
Truffles don't blow my mind too much - I know it's a lovely product, but it's
a bit overrated for me. Truffle oil is horrible; I can't stand the smell - it's like petrol! You know when a chef has used it because you can smell the plate coming towards you
What flavour combinations do you detest?
Savoury food cooked in coffee never sits well in my head
Which person in catering have you most admired?
Ian Rhodes at Le Talbooth, for putting up with me for four years
Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?
My parents - they made me a hard-working person
Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?
I'd want a nice comfy bed. That's luxury for me - getting more than four hours of sleep a night
If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Daniel Craig, I love a bit of Bond
If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?
Probably still doing my paper round in Colchester!
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