Revelations: Jay Brady, chef, the Mulberry, Falmouth

We delve into the life and inner thoughts of a top chef. This week: Jay Brady, chef, the Mulberry, Falmouth

 

What was your best subject at school?

 

I want to say cooking but it was definitely mathematics

 

What was your first job?

 

At a little fish and chip shop in my home village of St Merryn

 

What was your first job in catering?

 

At a golf club

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

I think mine is the same as most chefs – copious amounts of tea

 

What do you do to relax?

 

A costal walk around Cornwall

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

Restaurante Pica-Pau in Lisbon – classic Portuguese small plates, very easy going

 

What’s your favourite hotel?

 

Boringdon Hall. I’ve never had a bad experience there and it has a special place in my heart

 

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

 

Coriander

 

Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?

 

Mint and chocolate. It tastes like toothpaste

 

How would you describe your desk?

 

Covered in cookery books

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?

 

Nathan Outlaw. He treats his staff like family and he doesn’t over-complicate his dishes, he just lets the ingredients do the talking. He’s just an all-around nice guy

 

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

 

My girlfriend, her attitude to work and life is just incredible and she inspires me every day

 

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

 

A walkie-talkie to talk to my family. I would be lost without them

 

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?

 

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. I love his outlook and his way of life is very much how I see things

 

If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?

 

I did public services in school and wanted to be a police officer

 

Describe your ultimate nightmare?

 

A mid-service power cut would be horrendous

 

What’s your favourite film?

 

Legend with Tom Hardy

 

What irritates you most about the industry?

 

The stigma you need to work your staff into the ground to achieve what you want