Revelations: Nathan Eades, head chef, the Wild Rabbit, Kingham, Oxfordshire

What was your best subject at school?

 

I always enjoyed and was fairly decent at maths. In a kitchen environment it has allowed me to be a bit of an Excel spreadsheet nerd

 

What was your first job?

 

Kitchen porter at a local pub in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, where I grew up. Then I worked at the Royal Oak in Catshill – a small local pub owned by a family who also ran the local butcher’s shop

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

I don’t – I’d rather have 10 more minutes in bed!

 

What do you do to relax?

 

A long walk with my dog and, if I’m lucky enough to get a day off when the Wolves are playing, I’ll go and watch them

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

Elystan Street in London; the Crown at Burchetts Green and the Blackbird, both in Berkshire; Simpsons in Birmingham; and the Old Butchers in Stow, Cheltenham

 

What’s your favourite hotel?

 

Pennyhill Park in Bagshot, Surrey. It has everything you could possibly want and need in a hotel

 

What is your favourite drink?

 

Purity’s Longhorn IPA

 

What is your favourite food/cuisine?

 

I love to eat south-east Asian food regularly. The freshness and the clarity of the flavours are always something that I enjoy

 

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

 

Truffle oil. I can’t stand the stuff, it’s so synthetic

 

What flavour combinations do you detest?

 

Pineapple on pizzas. Just no!

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?

 

Andreas Antona and Luke Tipping gave me a lifeline in the industry after mine and my wife’s restaurant closed. I’ll be forever indebted to both of them for that

 

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

 

My mum really instilled a strong work ethic in me. As a single mum, she worked tirelessly to provide for us

 

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

 

A couple of bottles of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs would be fine!