Revelations: Alan White, executive chef, Goodwood Estate, Chichester, West Sussex

We delve into the life and inner thoughts of a top chef. This week: Alan White

What was your best subject at school?

Home economics. I was the only boy in the class, which had some advantages

What was your first job?

I was a milkman’s assistant while studying at college. I had 4am starts on Saturday and Sunday but I loved it

What was your first job in catering?

Commis chef at the Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club in the West Midlands

What do you normally have for breakfast?

Porridge, ruby grapefruit, Marmite on sourdough (plenty of butter, of course) with hot lemon and fresh ginger

Which is your favourite restaurant?

Jason Atherton’s Berners Tavern, in Fitzrovia, London, for its contemporary British menu using seasonal produce, and the Chilli Pickle, an Indian restaurant in Brighton

What’s your favourite hotel?

The Rosewood near Covent Garden in London, a brilliant example of luxury

What is your favourite drink?

Bombay gin and Mediterranean tonic

What is your favourite cuisine?

British and Indian cuisine

How would you describe your desk?

Tidy, organised, and the best view I’ve ever had, which is over the Goodwood Estate

Which person in catering have you most admired?

Pierre Koffmann, he set the standard for French cuisine in Britain

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

Fortnum & Mason Christmas biscuits

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

I would like to have been a barber

Tell us a secret...

I would like to end my career working in a hotel in Dubai

What’s your favourite book?

Any cookbook. I am reading Gut Gastronomy: Revolutionise Your Eating to Create Great Health, by Vicki Edgson and Adam Palmer, as Goodwood has launched a gut health programme

What is your favourite prepared product?

Salad Cream, goes with everything

If you had more time, what would you do?

Spend it with my wife, who has been an incredible support to me, We would tick off all those trips we want to take together