Where are you originally from? – I’m from Horsforth in Leeds When did you first become interested in cooking? – I first became interesting in cooking at 11/12 yrs old with my grandma, then later decided to go to catering college and take it up as a career Who was your biggest inspiration? – My biggest inspirations in cooking are Simon Shaw (El Gato Negro) and Stuart Tattersall (Gunton Arms, Norfolk) What changes have you seen, if any, in the way the restaurant world has changed? ie have peoples tastes changed, do people expect more nowadays etc..? – The whole restaurant scene has changed massively, it’s evolved so much and Is incredibly exciting right now What has been your biggest success to date? – My biggest success to date is getting to the final and finishing runner up on Masterchef; The Professionals What’s the must try dish on your menu? – I don’t have a menu but my fave food right now is the scandi style scene…it’s so exciting, having eaten at Noma in Copenhagen and been lucky enough to do a couple of days at Maemo in Oslo I’ve seen it first hand, I’m liking forward to getting over to Harrogate to see my old mate Simon Jewitt at Norse, they are one to watch this year, his food looks amazing What would be your tip for upcoming chefs? – My tip for up and coming chefs is listen, develop a palette, learn how important seasoning is, work clean, learn to take a bollocking and be keen! keep a journal with recipes…and push yourself every day! What are the 3 main components to running a successful restaurant? – My 3 important tips to running a restaurant would be consistency, solidarity, and dedication What do you hope people think when they’ve dined with you? – I hope people will eat my food and be happy, because that’s what it’s all about isn’t it? Finally, If you could summarise, what do you believe good cooking is all about? – Good cookery is about being honest, ballsy and true….don’t be lead astray by bullshit, stay true to yourself and you’ll do well….