Ex-Marine Jack Clayton, head chef at the Scarlet hotel, on choosing Huel for breakfast

What was your best subject at school?

Technology and art

What was your first job?

Kitchen porter at my local pub in Nottingham when I was 14

What was your first job in catering?

Kelham House Country Manor in Newark

What do you normally have for breakfast?

Huel on workdays and eggs of some sort on my days off

What do you do to relax?

Spend time with my little boys exploring the local areas, foraging and fishing

Which is your favourite restaurant?

The best dining experience I have had was at Casamia in Bristol in the original location

What is your favourite drink?

Yorkshire Tea in the day, and a Dark and Stormy or Guinness at night

What is your favourite cuisine?

I’m partial to Thai or Asian food on my days off, I like that it’s fresh and light

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

Rock samphire (tastes like diesel) or edible flowers (flavourless)

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

Salmon or any other unethically farmed produce

Which person in catering have you most admired?

I admired Tom Aikens when I was growing up

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

Alain Ducasse has always been a massive inspiration

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

I would have carried on in the Marines if I wasn’t medically discharged due to a hernia

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

A hat, as I am very bald, or a decent bush knife

What irritates you most about the industry?

The stigma most kitchens have and the lack of unity with procedures

Who would play “you” in a film about your life?

Some attractive bald man would be nice

What is your favourite prepared product?

I love an Opies pickled walnut