Name one ingredient you couldn't cook without.
I always have a bowlful of lemons in my kitchen. Lemon juice and lemon zest are wonderful in so many dishes.
What is the most unusual cooking/preparation technique you use?
Salt baking vegetables.
Who are your greatest influences?
I love Julia Childs, Keith Floyd, Simon Hopkinson, Nigel Slater, Marco Pierre White, Russell Norman, Stephen Harris - real people cooking real food with a sense of place that also tells a story.
What is your favourite time of year for food?
I love all the seasons for different reasons so to choose a favourite is impossible. I love to cook using ingredients that are naturally at their best.
What’s your favourite non-food kitchen item/gadget?
A 1970s Breville ice cream maker – it gives beautiful ice cream in just nine minutes. Of course, ice cream is delicious for warmer days but it has its place on colder days, too: in a feel-good clementine sorbet in December or with comforting puds.
What’s the one thing you’d ban from your kitchen?
A sous-vide machine – I would rather cook with pots, pans and fire.
What do you like to eat at the end of a long day?
Peanut butter on toast with a cup of builders’ tea.
And finally...tell us something about yourself that will surprise your diners.
I would love to live in Bordeaux and bring what I do there.
