Revelations: Ben Reade, co-founder, Edinburgh Food Studio, Edinburgh

What was your first job?

 

Washing dishes as a Saturday job at a small vegetarian café called Susie's Diner

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

Loads of fruit. I'll easily sit and eat a mango, a pear, an apple, a punnet of blueberries, and a punnet of raspberries. I love it so much

 

What do you do to relax?

 

I keep an allotment. I find the digging and weeding super-therapeutic. I Iove the fact that I need to visit throughout the year, for pruning and preparing the ground, etc. It's great to see the year-round development

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

Restaurant Inver, which is owned by great friends. A super place to eat in Scotland

 

What's your favourite hotel?

 

A tent. I'm much more of a happy camper than a fancy hotel guy

 

What is your favourite drink?

 

I really do enjoy Scotch, with a particular focus on single casks. I love the unique character of each cask, and I enjoy it cask strength too. Although once I'm started, best hope there are no big commitments the next day!

 

What is your favourite food? I love a summer salad of wild and cultivated spicy, bitter and aromatic herbs and flowers, straight out of the ground, and dressed with a simple vinaigrette of quality oil and vinegar and a touch of heather honey

 

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

 

Dairy. Hate is a strong word, but I don't really get along with fresh dairy, especially milk and cream. Once it's fermented into cultured butter, yogurt, cheese or crème fraîche, I'm happy to partake

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?

 

The late and great Myrtle Allen of Ballymaloe. What an absolute legend

 

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

 

A fishing rod!

 

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?

 

I'd come back as a bird

 

What irritates you most about the industry?

 

The lack of accountability. So many places will say they grow their own veg, they use local producers and source sustainably… The reality is they source from the cheapest and easiest suppliers, and occasionally grow a handful of radishes