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
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
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
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
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