Revelations: Robby Jenks, executive chef, the Vineyard hotel, Newbury, Berkshire

What was your best subject at school?

 

What was your first job?

 

Kitchen porter at a hotel in my hometown when I was 13

 

What was your first job in catering?

 

I was a commis chef when I was 16

 

What do you do to relax?

 

I can’t remember the last time I fully relaxed, but sometimes I drive back down the M4 to my home town and play snooker with a friend

 

Which is your favourite restaurant?

 

To me, restaurants are like an education and you can learn something different from all of them. However, if I have to pick the best all-rounder, it would be the French Laundry

 

What’s your favourite hotel?

 

Chewton Glen or Whatley Manor

 

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

 

Ultratex â€" in my opinion it is either used to thicken a mistake or thicken something that shouldn’t be thickened

 

Which person in catering have you most admired?

 

Michael Caines

 

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

 

Olives on their own. However, in sauces they can serve a purpose

 

Tell us a secret…

 

I can’t keep secrets. Don’t ever tell me one

 

What irritates you most about the industry?

 

Politics

 

When did you last eat a hamburger?

 

I can’t remember, but I love a good burger

 

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?

 

Ronnie O Sullivan â€" I am a bit of a fan and love snooker. I used to be good when I was younger

 

What’s your favourite film?

 

Either American Gangster or Catch Me If You Can

 

What’s your favourite book?

 

Gordon Ramsay’s Humble Pie â€" I really like his story

 

What is your favourite prepared product?

 

I make everything from scratch

 

Who would be in your “fantasy” brigade?

 

Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay, Thomas Keller, Michael Caines and Raymond Blanc