Revelations: Shaun Rankin, Grantley Hall, Ripon
What was your best subject at school?
History. If I hadn't become a chef, I think I would have liked to be a historian
What was your first job?
A paper round, when I was about eight years old
What was your first job in catering?
In a hotel in the Lake District
What do you normally have for breakfast?
It's often brown toast and a banana or good old boiled eggs
What do you do to relax?
I go fishing. I've always loved it, and if you can't find me in the kitchen, that's probably what I'll be doing!
Which is your favourite restaurant?
The French Laundry, Thomas Keller's restaurant in California
What's your favourite hotel?
The Dolder Grand in Switzerland
What is your favourite drink?
A glass of good wine
Which ingredient do you hate the most?
Tinned anchovies
What flavour combinations do you detest?
Ham and pineapple. A disgrace
What do you always carry with you?
My glasses and a notebook
Which person in catering have you most admired?
Ferran Adrià of El Bulli
Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?
Vintage Macallan whisky and a box of Davidoff cigars
If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Sean Connery
If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?
A marine biologist – or a historian
Describe your ultimate nightmare?
Having to go to work... I am lucky I have a hard hobby!
When and where was your last holiday?
With my two boys Harry and Ethan in Mexico, five years ago
Tell us a secret...
I love a McDonald's breakfast
What irritates you most about the industry?
People who are rude
What's your favourite film?
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover – a classic
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