Chef Revelations – Will Holland

Will Holland, head chef at La Becasse, talks about fast cars, Stella Artois, Keith Floyd and pyrotechnics…

What was your best subject at school?
Catering and art

What was your first job?
Working in a butcher's shop, aged 14

What do you normally have for breakfast?
A banana

What do you do to relax?
Drive fast cars

What is your favourite restaurant?
Can Bosch, Cambrils, Spain

What is your favourite hotel?
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons

What is your favourite drink?
Stella Artois

What is your favourite food/cuisine?
Classic French and modern British to cook, Thai and Indian to eat

Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?
Ground white pepper - I just hate the taste and it reminds me of my days on the veg section, seasoning pots of emulsion

What flavour combinations do you detest?
Sultanas or raisins in savoury dishes

What do you always carry with you?
Phone, car key (even if I'm not driving anywhere, just to keep it safe), Sharpie permanent pen

Which ingredient do you hate the most?
Peanut butter

How would you describe your desk?
A battered old butcher's block I bought from a butcher's shop that was closing down

Which person in catering have you most admired?
Keith Floyd

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Mick Hucknall

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?
Gary Jones, executive chef, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons

Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?
A filleting knife, pin-boning tweezers, a non-stick frying pan and a lighter to make the most of the fish I would catch

If you had not gone into catering, where would you be now?
Either a rally driver, a fireman or a pyrotechnic engineer

What is your favourite prepared product?
Pickled green chillies