Chef Revelations – Jocelyn Herland

What was your best subject at school? Maths

What was your first job in catering? I worked at McDonald's when I was in high school and at Grand Café Capucines in Paris when I was 17

Which is your favourite restaurant? Aux Lyonnais in Paris (Alain Ducasse bistrot) and Roka in London

What's your favourite hotel? The Plaza Athenée in Paris

What is your favourite drink? Muscat as an aperitif

What is your favourite food/cuisine? French comfort food

Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with? If so, why? Red tuna as it's not a sustainable fish and we need to protect it

What flavour combinations to do you detest? Vegetable sorbets

How would you describe your desk? Messy because I keep everything - old menus, paperwork, magazines…

Which ingredient do you hate the most? Raw peppers

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

Which person in catering have you most admired? Christophe Moret, former head chef at Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athenée, with whom I trained

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration? Alain Ducasse

What daily newspaper/website do you read? The Metro

Tell us a secret… I love to sleep late in the morning

If not yourself, who would you rather have been? L'abbe Pierre , a French catholic priest who dedicated his life to the homeless and people in difficulty

Describe your ultimate nightmare? To lose my son in a public place

When and where was your last holiday? In Auvergne last summer

Who would be in your "fantasy" brigade? Antonin Bonnet, the Greenhouse, for fish; Clare Smyth, Gordon Ramsay, for meat; Christophe Moret, Lasserre, for sauces; Frederic Robert, Vegas for pastry

Jocelyn Herland is executive chef at Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, London