Chef Revelations: Sophie Mitchell, executive chef, Pont St, Belgraves Hotel

19 March 2014
Chef Revelations: Sophie Mitchell, executive chef, Pont St, Belgraves Hotel

Revelations: Sophie Mitchell, executive chef, Pont St, Belgraves Hotel, London

What was your first job in catering?

Pot washing in the local restaurant at 14. I was cooking full-time in restaurants from the age of 15, which meant I didn't even do my GCSEs in the end.

What do you normally have for breakfast?

Avocado on toasted rye bread or bacon and eggs

What do you do to relax?

I swim, work out at my gym a lot, and then hang out with friends eating and drinking. Like any girl I am partial to a bit of shopping.

Which ingredient do you hate the most?

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

That would be ridiculous! How can you be a chef and be exclusive?

What is your favourite food/cuisine?

Italian and South-east Asian

What do you always carry with you?

My two mobiles - I would be lost without them. Oh, and my gold and diamond evil eye bracelet that was given to me in Beirut - it keeps evil spirits away.

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

A scuba-diving kit, as it would help with catching some damn fine seafood for the barbie

What flavour combinations do you detest?

I'm a little bit funny about chocolate and fruit - I am not keen on chocolate and lemon at all

Which person in catering have you most admired?

Michel Roux Jr

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

My mother - she's always pushed me a lot and been there for me

What is your favourite drink?

I drink masses of water throughout the day, but I also love a good Mersault, jalapeno margaritas and Vita coconut and coffee… probably not in that order

Who would be in your fantasy brigade?

Gizzi Erskine (she writes for The Times and does amazing pop-ups and menus); Jack Stein (Rick Stein's son, works in Padstow for his father); Carl Clarke (founder and executive chef of Disco Bistro, an epic pop-up); Neil Rankin (head chef at Smokehouse); and Tom Oldroyd (executive chef at Polpo). They are all very talented young chefs and, above all, are a brilliant laugh. We wouldn't get much work done, but if we did, it would be brilliant.

TagsChef and Careers
The Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email

Start the working day with The Caterer’s free breakfast briefing email

Sign Up and manage your preferences below

Check mark icon
Thank you

You have successfully signed up for the Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email and will hear from us soon!

Jacobs Media is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.

close

Ad Blocker detected

We have noticed you are using an adblocker and – although we support freedom of choice – we would like to ask you to enable ads on our site. They are an important revenue source which supports free access of our website's content, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

trade tracker pixel tracking