Revelations: Carl Wild, head chef, the Samling, Windermere, Cumbria
We delve into the life and inner thoughts of a top chef. This week: Carl Wild, head chef at the Samling in Windermere
What was your first job?
Chef in a small restaurant in my home town in the evenings after catering school
What do you do to relax?
In my spare time I enjoy trail running and walking in the Lake District mountains with my two boys, my wife and our Jack Russell
What's your favourite hotel?
Hotel Arts Barcelona brings me many great memories
What is your favourite drink?
Mojito while on a beach on holiday
What is your favourite food/cuisine?
Sushi
What do you always carry with you?
Micro scales
Which person in catering have you most admired?
Roberto Holz was my executive chef. He is a great inspirational leader who taught me a lot of organisation and management skills. He gave me the opportunity to work in the best hotel in Spain at a time when I had little experience and terrible Spanish
If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Kilian Jornet, an extreme mountain runner. It amazes me to watch how he runs over the tops of the mountains like Everest with no oxygen
If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?
I may have gone into sports but I probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to travel, learn new languages, cultures, cuisines or have met my Catalan wife Patricia
Describe your ultimate nightmare?
Spending the day shopping
When and where was your last holiday?
Tarragona in Spain before Covid
What irritates you most about the industry?
The bad atmosphere and old-school mentality in some kitchens. I believe you must always strive for perfection, treat your team well and enjoy every day
What's your favourite book?
Walking the Wainwrights by Graham Uney
What is your favourite prepared product?
Suquet de Gambas (a red prawn and fish stew)
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