Revelations: Tommy Heaney, head chef, Heaney's Cardiff

What do you normally have for breakfast?
Coffee

What do you do to relax?
Go to the pub with the missus. If the football's on, it's a bonus

Which is your favourite restaurant?
That's a tough one, as I seldom go to the same restaurant twice. I love the concept at Root in Bristol

What is your favourite drink?
Lager

What is your favourite cuisine?
Asian

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

What flavour combinations do you detest?
Beef and English mustard

What do you always carry with you?
I’m a massive Sharpie thief

How would you describe your desk?
An organised mess

Which person in catering have you most admired?
Ollie Dabbous. I couldn’t have written my business plan without him

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?
This may sound strange as I’ve never worked with him apart from on Great British Menu, but I’ve massively changed my cooking philosophy since becoming friends with Tom Brown

Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?
My dog. I’d go insane on my own

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Peter Crouch. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be tall

If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?
I’d be a really poor tattooist or in AA

Tell us a secret…
I was a bit pissed doing my main course on GBM 2017!

What irritates you most about the industry?
Chefs who think they are too good to wash a pan

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

What’s your favourite book?
Kitchen Confidential or Dabbous: The Cookbook

What is your favourite prepared product?
Soy sauce

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