Chef Revelations – James Petrie
What was your first job in catering? Pot washer at a local highland hotel
Which is your favourite restaurant? Hard one to answer, but recently I've had some great meals at Nopi and Miyama in London
What's your favourite hotel? Home House, London
What is your favourite food/cuisine? Each weekend I'm getting more and more into Japanese, Italian and Moroccan flavours
Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with? If so, why? Fermented shark - it's used to scare off the tourists in Iceland
Which person gave you the greatest inspiration? Heston Blumenthal
Which person in catering have you most admired? Sat Bains, for his integrity and great sense of humour
Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take? My new Jeffery West boots
What flavour combinations do you detest? Coffee and basil - it just doesn't work
If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you'd be now? Backpacking around Scotland
If not yourself, who would you rather have been? Action Man
What irritates you most about the industry? The lack of pastry chefs
When did you last eat a hamburger? I had one last night at the Crown in Bray - it was very tasty
What is your favourite prepared product? Kalles Kaviar - smoked cod roe in a tube from Ikea
Who would be in your fantasy brigade? Heston Blumenthal on development; Thomas Keller on the pass; Sat Bains on sauce; Stefan Cosser, Ivan Brehm and Woody pot washers (Fat Duck Experimental Kitchen); Brett Graham on veg; Claude Bosi on fish; Paco Torreblanco on pastry; Deborah Chalcroft, restaurant hostess (Heston's PA); Tony Baker, maître d' (MD at the Fat Duck); Oliver Reed, sommelier; Tony Conigliaro, bar manager (69 Colebrook Row)
James Petrie is head of creative development, experimental kitchen, at the Fat Duck
