Revelations: Will Bowlby, head chef and co-founder, Kricket, London

17 January 2020
Revelations: Will Bowlby, head chef and co-founder, Kricket, London

What was your first job?

Aside from the odd waitering job, kitchen porter in my local pub

What was your first job in catering?

I worked on the pastry section in the same pub. I had already started my one-man catering company by then, where I cooked intimate dinner parties for people

What do you normally have for breakfast?

Crumpets with butter and Marmite or a bacon and tomato sandwich

What do you do to relax?

Escape London, go home to Sussex, visit friends in Norfolk, be with my dogs and my family

Which is your favourite restaurant?

Either A Wong in Victoria or Perilla in Stoke Newington

What's your favourite hotel?

Not so much a hotel but a hut – Babu huts in Goa.

The best service Which ingredient do you hate the most?

Raw, poor quality tomatoes, or avocados – not based on their taste but purely on the ridiculousness of their rise

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

Poor quality meat, fish and veg. I like to know provenance and that the animal has lived well.

What flavour combinations do you detest?

Avocado on toast

Which person in catering have you most admired?

Pierre Koffmann and Andrew Wong, who is always behind the pass when I go to his restaurant. A shout-out must go to my own chefs, who work tirelessly in very busy restaurants

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?

Rowley Leigh for teaching me the basics, and Jamie Oliver

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

A hut with a massive bed in it If not yourself, who would you rather have been?

A travel writer or a pianist What irritates you most about the industry?

Ridiculous rent reviews/increases

What's your favourite film?

The Lion King (the original)

Who would play "you" in a film about your life?

Sam Rockwell because he's cool

What's your favourite book?

Eating India by Chitrita Banerji

What is your favourite prepared product?

Shana's frozen parathas

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