Revelations: Adam Humphrey, head chef and owner, Arras restaurant, York

What was your best subject at school?

 

I was pretty good at school. I'd say English was probably my best subject

 

What was your first job?

 

My first job was washing pots at the Hayloft, a carvery restaurant in Market Weighton, East Yorkshire, when I was 15

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

I make myself a coffee when I arrive to do

 

What do you do to relax?

 

I try and play guitar. I’m not good at all â€" I play like I am sawing it in half!

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

My favourite restaurant is Michel Bras in France. My wife Lovaine worked there and we stayed on our honeymoon. It’s everything a restaurant should be

 

What’s your favourite hotel?

 

Currently it’s the Rosewood London. My parents stay there and they put me onto it â€" I’d love to spend a day in the Pie Room

 

What is your favourite drink?

 

Champagne Cedric Bouchard is a current favourite. I also like Yorkshire Tea, obviously

 

What is your favourite cuisine?

 

Probably Japanese; I love the restraint in the food

 

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

 

It’s sweet potato. It’s banned in our restaurant. It’s sweet and a potato â€" I don’t get it!

 

Are there any foods that you refuse to cook with?

 

I’ll cook with pretty much any food. Ethically I won’t cook with shark’s fin; cutting off a fin for soup and then discarding the shark dead or alive is not right. Frankly, it’s not that nice anyway

 

What flavour combinations do you hate?

 

I’m yet to be convinced by sea buckthorn with anything! Everything I’ve had it with is no match for the astringency of the berries. It’s probably best left to those who’ll turn it into cosmetics

 

Describe your ultimate nightmare?

 

My ultimate nightmare is being forced to watch Love Island while eating sweet potato fries in a caravan somewhere very remote. To be fair, I expect that is somebody else’s dream

 

What’s your favourite film?

 

The Blues Brothers or I Am Sam