Revelations: Nick Bennett, head chef, Magnolia Restaurant at Sudbury House hotel, Faringdon, Oxfordshire

What was your best subject at school?

 

Food tech, obviously!

 

What was your first job?

 

I assisted my dad's friend, who was a photographer

 

What was your first job in catering?

 

Pot-wash at my local pub. I ended up being in charge on a Monday night!

 

What do you normally have for breakfast?

 

Coffee and a banana

 

What do you do to relax?

 

I love a day at home with my son Maeson and wife Jess. Maybe a trip to soft play as well

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

What's your favourite hotel?

 

My wife and I love Soho Farmhouse in Great Tew, Chipping Norton

 

Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?

 

No, I'm open-minded and will try anything. The only thing I wince at slightly is tongue. I always feel a bit tingly when slicing it…

 

What is your favourite cuisine?

 

Relaxed, French-style brasseries. It's hard to beat mussels, fries and beer on a day off

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?

 

Simon Haigh, my old mentor from Mallory Court in Leamington Spa. He's a humble culinary hero

 

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

 

Working alongside Simon Haigh and Andrew Scott through my career gave me a lot to aim for

 

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

 

Modernist Cuisine, so I could finally read it all

 

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?

 

Steve Bull [former Wolves footballer]

 

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

 

I'd love to have had a chance at playing rugby seriously

 

Describe your ultimate nightmare?

 

Being locked in a dark room in the woods with Huntsman spiders

 

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

 

Matt Lucas

 

When and where was your last holiday?

 

Our honeymoon to Florida last May

 

Tell us a secret…

 

I can do the ‘Waka Waka'