Chef revelations: Tristan Welch
What was your best subject at school?
Maths - the school head was my teacher and I was scared of her
What was your first job?
Washing up at Redcoats farmhouse hotel and restaurant in Hitchin, Herts. I used to turn up in my chef whites just in case the chefs needed a hand in the kitchen
What do you normally have for breakfast?
Fresh mint tea - it's my only vice
What is your favourite restaurant?
A little buffet restaurant in Sweden, where I love the cured herrings and flatbreads
What is your favourite hotel?
Hotel Madrisa in Gargellen, in the Austrian mountains. It's fantastic for skiing and has its own organic farm
What is your favourite food/cuisine?
British - I'm British through and through, in taste and preference and manner
Which ingredient do you hate the most?
Tomato ketchup
Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?
Okra - it's slimy and flavourless
Cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you take?
A bunch of mint, a kettle and a cup
Which person in catering have you most admired?
Michel Roux
What daily newspaper/website do you read?
BBC news in the morning, and Metro on a Wednesday for its restaurant review
Describe your ultimate nightmare
An epidemic that wipes out the world's mint
When and where was your last holiday?
The Maldives over two years ago
Tell us a secret…
My twins were conceived in the Maldives, hence no more holidays
If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
James Bond - who wouldn't?
When did you last eat a hamburger?
Two weeks ago - they are a guilty pleasure of mine
What is your favourite prepared product?
Marmite
What do you always carry with you?
A bunch of fresh mint
What's your favourite film?
The Italian Job - the original
What's your favourite book?
I'm infatuated and I always have my nose in a book involved in the industry - such as Fast Food Nation and Not on the Label