Revelations: Michael Carr, head chef, Fenchurch Restaurant at Sky Garden, London

What was your best subject at school?

PE – I had a real passion for rugby

What do you normally have for breakfast?

Fruit or granola. Special treats can be breakfast sarnies for the kitchen

What’s your favourite hotel?

Driftwood in Cornwall. Beautiful surroundings and a beautiful place to be looked after

What is your favourite drink?

I’m partial to a good glass of red, but nothing comes close to a Dark and Stormy after a long week

What is your favourite food/cuisine?

Italian

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

Sprouts – yuck!

What flavour combinations do you detest?

At school some of my friends ate peanut butter, chocolate and jelly sandwiches – what is that?!

What do you always carry with you?

When I’m in the kitchen I always have my spoon on me wherever I go (apart from the loo)

Which person in catering have you most admired?

Gordon Ramsay

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

My father – he’s always pushing me to be the best person I can possibly be and has helped me make the right moves in my progression

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

A bottle of rum

What daily newspaper/website do you read?

The Telegraph and The Times – most of the articles are well-handled and display honesty. And the food columns are brilliant

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?

Kelly Slater – I’ve surfed all my life and he has the life of a god. He’s always in paradise, in the sea – and gets paid massively for it!

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

I very nearly started the route of joining the fire brigade. I’ve always wanted to help people

Describe your ultimate nightmare

Being chased by Freddy Krueger

Who would play “you” in a film about your life?

Tom Hardy

What is your favourite prepared product?

Black garlic paste