Revelations: Ben Murphy, head chef, Launceston Place, London

What was your first job in catering?
Working for Pierre Koffmann at Koffmann's at the Berkeley hotel in London

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?
A strawberry nutrition bar with a cup of tea

 

What do you do to relax?

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?
The Ledbury in Notting Hill

 

What's your favourite hotel?
Claridge's in Mayfair

 

What is your favourite drink?
Jack Daniels and coke

 

Which ingredient do you hate the most?
I hate Brussels sprouts with a passion

 

Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?
I'm happy to cook anything, but I have an allergy to shellfish

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?
Pierre Koffmann and Sat Bains

 

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

 

What daily newspaper/website do you read?
Evening Standard and The Caterer

 

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
David Beckham

 

If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?
I would have tried to fulfil my dream of being a footballer

 

When and where was your last holiday?
Barbados, November 2018

 

Tell us a secret…
I'll whisper it to you…

 

What irritates you most about the industry?
Customers who think they know about your food

 

When did you last eat a hamburger?
Last night after service!

 

What's your favourite film?
Creed 1 and 2

 

Who would play "you" in a film about your life?
Leonardo DiCaprio

 

What's your favourite book?
Éric Frechon's [of Épicure, Paris] cookbook

 

What is your favourite prepared product?
Strawberry trifles

 

If you had more time, what would you do?
Travel