Chef Revelations – Matt Gillan

What was your first job in catering?
Washing up

Which is your favourite restaurant?
The Pass

What's your favourite hotel?
The Manor House hotel, Castle Combe

What do you normally have for breakfast?
A cup of tea

What do you do to relax?
Drink tea

What is your favourite drink?
Tea or vodka lemonade

Which person in catering have you most admired?
Marco Pierre White

Are there any foods/ingredients that you refuse to cook with?
Kiwi fruit. I have an allergy to it.

Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?
Daniel Clifford

Which ingredient do you hate the most?
Kidneys

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

What daily newspaper/website do you read?
Twitter

If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
Iron Man

If you had not gone into catering, where do you think you would be now?
In graphic design

Tell us a secret...
I have a tattoo of a monkey on my...

Describe your ultimate nightmare
Being force-fed crème caramel by bats

What irritates you most about the industry?
Paying for commis chefs and chefs who don't listen

What is your favourite prepared food product?
Pringles

What's your favourite film?
The Bourne series

Who would play you in a film about your life?
Will Smith

What's your favourite music?
Anything with a cheeky bass line (except dubstep)

Who would be in your fantasy brigade?
Canapés - Thomas Kellar, French Laundry; larder - Michel Roux Jnr, Le Gavroche; meat - Joan Roca, El Celler de Can Roca; fish - Tetsuya Wakuda, Tetsuya's; garnish - Grant Achatz, Alinea; pastry - Heston Blumenthal, Fat Duck

If you had more time, what would you do?
Sleep, eat, mixed martial arts, chill out with family

Matt Gillan, head chef, the Pass, South Lodge, Horsham