Revelations: Mark Donald, head chef of Number One at the Balmoral hotel, Edinburgh
What was your best subject at school?
Drama was my favourite. French, history and chemistry were my strongest
What was your first job?
I sold flowers at a Dutch flower market in the UK
What was your first job in catering?
I washed dishes at a pub called the Tickled Trout
What do you normally have for breakfast?
Black coffee
Which is your favourite restaurant?
Yardbird in Hong Kong
What's your favourite hotel?
Fawlty Towers
What is your favourite food?
I love a bit of dim sum
What is your favourite drink?
Tanqueray No 10 gin
Which ingredient do you hate?
Bananas
Which person in catering have you most admired?
Andrew Fairlie
Are there any foods that you refuse to cook with?
I hate truffle oil
How would you describe your desk?
Two foot tall, wood, slight wobble
If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Someone in intelligence, like an MI6 agent
If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?
Trying to make it as an actor
What is your favourite prepared product?
Soy sauce and tinned anchovies
Describe your ultimate nightmare?
Being buried alive or an office job
What irritates you most about the industry?
Young chefs who think they are the finished article
When and where was your last holiday?
I went to the Douro Valley in Portugal with our wine supplier to taste port for two days
What's your favourite film?
Die Hard
Who would play "you" in a film about your life?
Damian Lewis
What's your favourite book?
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
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