My parents instilled in me a love for food. My father taught me to cook from an early age, though my mother did most of the cooking. She showed me the importance of enjoying what I’m doing.

I have learned from many different chefs in many different places. There has been nowhere renowned, but I’ve always worked in good kitchens.

Simplicity is best, and I enjoy what I’m doing.

To a certain extent.

Pay close attention to what you are doing, to your ingredients, to the recipe. Care and attention make good food.

Two meals stand out.

   A meal at Le Champignon Sauvage (a fantastic Moroccan spiced soup as an amuse bouche, then snail risotto, chump of lamb with liquorice,  black pepper crème Fraiche parfait). It opened my eyes to top quality cooking. I didn’t know food could be so incredibly accomplished.

   And the other meal was a slice of garlic toast with a tomato ketchup smiley face that my future wife cooked for me on our first ever morning after. Just as memorable.

That another food trend will quickly overtake it.

Our menu is seasonal and always sourced from local producers and suppliers. It is modern British in style but using French techniques and recipes from all over the world.

We don’t have a signature dish; we are just cooking good food using seasonal products.

Wild food (hedgerow harvest; it is free, it is plentiful, and Sue Jollans’ multitude of children enjoy picking everything from crab apples to wild garlic for us).

Wild garlic and mushrooms from the forest (cep, when they can be found, are an incredible boost for our menu).

Fish because of the incredible variety. We are an island nation with an unrivalled diversity of seafood on our doorstep.

St Michael’s is a beautiful restaurant in a lovely village with good food and friendly staff.