Revelations: Jack Smith, head chef, Quaglino’s, St James’s, London

What was your first job?

 

With a motorbike mechanic, aged 15

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

Day-to-day I skip it, but if I’m at home, it has to be a bacon sarnie with the bread fried in the fat

 

What do you do to relax?

 

I love to go on long walks with the dog or go to the gym

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

Angler, London

 

What’s your favourite hotel?

 

The Ritz London – on my way to Quaglino’s I walk past it every day. It’s got to be one of the most luxurious and iconic hotels in the world – British at its best

 

What is your favourite drink?

 

I stick with a drink for a while, absolutely hammer it, and then move to a different tipple – at the moment it’s a G&T

 

What is your favourite cuisine?

 

To cook, French/European. To eat, Thai

 

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

 

I’m not a fan of nuts in desserts

 

What flavour combinations do you detest?

 

Chilli and chocolate. It’s not that it doesn’t work – it’s just a bit boring

 

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

 

A blow-up dinghy

 

What daily newspaper/website do you read?

 

The Sun – loads of gossip

 

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?

 

Someone on UFC, a famous fighter. I can’t get enough of it!

 

Describe your ultimate nightmare?

 

Dropping someone’s wedding cake!

 

Tell us a secret...

 

I super-glued my maths teacher’s bum to his chair

 

What irritates you most about the industry?

 

Customers’ misconceptions about the time, skill and effort that goes into each dish

 

When did you last eat a hamburger?

 

Cheat day at McDonald’s last week

 

Who would play “you” in a film about your life?

 

Ryan Gosling – people say I look like him