Revelations: Harvey Ayliffe, executive chef, Bluebird Chelsea and Bluebird Café, London
What was your best subject at school?
Art
What was your first job?
My parent's greengrocer shop – I was very young
What was your first job in catering?
The Savile Club, a gentleman's club in Mayfair
What do you normally have for breakfast?
Coffee and a banana
What do you do to relax?
Spend time with my family
Which is your favourite restaurant?
Scott's in Mayfair
What's your favourite hotel?
Babington House in Somerset
What is your favourite drink?
Estrella Damm
Which ingredient do you hate the most?
Pheasant
Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?
Quince – I just don't get it
Which person in catering have you most admired?
Heston Blumenthal – he took food to another level
Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?
Mark Hix and Tim Hughes – both for very different reasons
If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
The author Michael Lewis
When and where was your last holiday?
Ibiza last summer
Tell us a secret...
The first time I cooked for my wife I served her burnt curry and she ate it. I wasn't a chef then!
When did you last eat a hamburger?
It was a chicken burger at Thunderbird Chicken a couple of weeks ago and it was lovely
What's your favourite film
Fargo
Who would play "you" in a film about your life?
I'd like to think George Clooney, but more realistically Lee Evans
What's your favourite book?
There's so many! Probably Whispers by Dean Koontz
What is your favourite prepared product?
Ready salted crisps
Who would be in your "fantasy" brigade?
It's a bit corny but it would be most of the team I had at 34 Mayfair
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