Ivan Tisdall-Downes: 'I’m not very good at sitting still'

Art. My mum was the art director for Private Eye magazine and my dad was a carpenter, so I had a creative upbringing. I found comfort in the fact that I didn’t need to revise anything or regurgitate information.

 

A paper round. I hated it, apart from at Christmas when I would get some nice tips.

 

Waiting tables at Lingfield Park Racecourse in Surrey. I had written 21 letters to restaurants and didn’t receive a single reply, so I decided I would have to teach myself.

 

Breakfast is easily my favourite meal, but I very rarely eat it and when I do it’s usually at lunchtime. On an average day, it will be porridge and an apple, but when I’m treating myself it’s a full English with hash browns.

 

Play sport – something where I can’t look at my phone. I played rugby for 23 years but decided to call it a day when we hit lockdown. Now it’s golf, boxing and, most recently, snowboarding. I’m not very good at sitting still.

 

The Anchor & Hope in Waterloo. They look after you with the passive aggressive love you only get from family members. The food is hearty and has levels of flavour that you get in very few restaurants and the wine list is terrific. (And if you behave yourself, you get given the leftover roast potatoes with your pint in the evening – you can’t beat that nostalgia.)

 

The Standard in King’s Cross is exceptional – the views are amazing, combined with the rooftop bar and having restaurant Decimo on-site. It has everything you need.

 

I have a fondness in my heart for Italian food, having spent a bit of time there and getting to cook in Piedmont. I really felt at home there, not just with the ingredients and dishes, but also with the attitude to food and drink, what it means to family and the ritual of eating. I just loved it.

 

Sweet potato when it’s fried. There is no need.

 

Any animals that have not been raised to a high welfare standard.

 

Ham and pineapple on pizza.

 

A chip on my shoulder. But it’s what helps give me the drive to keep being better when it could have been easy to give up a long time ago.

 

Fergus Henderson, for what he has done to keep British food history alive.

 

Noma is one of the reasons I am a chef. I was given their book by my uncle before I knew how to cook. Possibly without knowing, Réné Redzepi has shone a light on British food and how to use our indigenous produce, which is very similar to Nordic cuisine. I’m sure, along with many other restaurants, he inspired Native without even knowing.

 

My Gozney pizza oven.

 

I would have loved to be a location scout, exploring and travelling.

 

Travel writing – the best way to see the world.

 

Crawling through that tiny tunnel underwater on the TV programme SAS: Are You Tough Enough.

 

Snowboarding in Verbier last February. It’s a different world out there, but an absolutely wonderful experience, even though I cracked a rib.

 

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one” (Mark Twain).

 

VAT – it’s a disproportionate tax on an industry that is already on its knees. A small percentage of a lot is better that a larger percentage of a diminishing amount.

 

Last week – I had the cheeseburger from Whole Beast at the Montpelier pub in Peckham and it was unreal. Best burger I’ve had. Sam and Alicja Bryant are amazing cooks and utter legends.

 

True Romance. An underdog story jam-packed with superstars.

 

Tom Hardy, but they would have to make him taller.

 

I’m a big fan of The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out Of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson, it’s an amazing dark comedy that taught me so much about history. 

 

Ribena.

 

Alex Atala – I cooked for him back in 2017 and we were all really nervous knowing he was coming in to eat. When he arrived, he came to the kitchen, introduced himself and shook all our hands. Everyone’s nerves just vanished and there was total calm. I’ve never seen someone have that effect on a group of people, and because of that, he would lead my fantasy brigade 100%.

 

Travel, listen and learn.