What do you have for breakfast?
Breakfast is really important for me as it’s the only meal I can guarantee to be on time and good for me. While I’ll try and do something healthy most days, I do love the full English we have on the menu at Whitechurch – with fried sourdough bread, our house beans, coffee-cured bacon, sausage, hash brown, runny fried egg and mushrooms. That’s definitely only as a treat mind!
What’s your guilty pleasure?
It would have to be a good quality stone-baked pizza from the local takeaway – they do them really nicely and I tend to keep it simple with just a bit of pepperoni on there.
What would be your last meal on earth?
I’d go for the best quality ribeye steak with a nice bit of marbling, and some proper crispy chips.
What’s in your home fridge?
There’s not a lot in there to be honest as I eat at work a lot and hate food waste. I have to have good butter, and I go through quite a bit, then it’s just the basics – some condiments and bits and bobs. I’ve been lucky to work with lots of great chefs and I’ve picked up a lot of great things from homemade kimchi to fermented chillies – those things which are great to have on-hand to add a little bit to a quick lunch or dinner.
What’s your favourite food book?
It’s essential reading for every chef but I have to choose White Heat by Marco Pierre White. I read it right through a few years ago and go back to it more than anything else.
What’s your most important piece of kitchen kit?
The Thermomix is essential in our kitchen and we use it throughout the day for sauces, purées and so much more.
What’s your most important piece of advice in the food business?
Be a sponge. Treat every day as a chance to learn, ask questions, and take as much advice, inspiration and support from the chefs around you as you can. I’m lucky to have worked with great chefs in the Zen Group who have decades of experience all over the world and I’ve learned so much from the team across all the venues.
What would you be doing if you weren’t working in food?
That’s a tough one and I don’t think I could leave the industry completely. We have a great rapport with our delivery drivers and they’re great guys who seem to enjoy what they do, so I’d probably be doing something like that.
If you only had £15 to spend on a meal, what would you buy?
I’d grab a good bit of fresh fish from the market that I can crisp the skin up on nicely – probably some mackerel – and serve it with some buttery Jersey Royal potatoes.
Who is your favourite chef?
I’d pick Marco Pierre White – he set the standard for so many chefs that followed him in this country, and I think he’s a hard one to beat.
Whitechurch, 29 Church Street Head, Durham, DH1 3DN, tel 0191 386 8897, www.whitechurchdurham.com
