Revelations: Matt Whitfield, the Montagu Arms, Beaulieu
What was your best subject at school?
Home economics
What was your first job?
I was a pizza and starter chef at my local Italian restaurant when I was 14
What do you normally have for breakfast?
Just a coffee
What do you do to relax?
I like to play squash
Which is your favourite restaurant?
For the overall experience, Eleven Madison Park in New York
What's your favourite hotel?
The Bellagio hotel and casino in Las Vegas
What is your favourite drink?
A glass of red wine, preferably shiraz
What flavour combinations do you detest?
I really don't like cheese and fruit together – Wensleydale with cranberry, for example, is my idea of hell
What is your favourite food/cuisine?
Thai
Which ingredient do you hate the most?
Pumpkin
What do you always carry with you?
My phone and in the kitchen, a Sharpie pen
How would you describe your desk?
Organised chaos – it has stuff all over it, but it's all stuff I need
Which person in catering have you most admired?
Marco Pierre White for his raw cooking talent and Gordon Ramsay as a businessman and overall great chef
Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?
A car
If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?
I really wanted to be a stuntman at one time, so maybe that!
Describe your ultimate nightmare?
A whole restaurant of unhappy diners
When and where was your last holiday?
New York last year
What irritates you most about the industry?
The lack of staff
What is your favourite prepared product?
French's mustard
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