Flash-grilled: Duncan Ray
What was your first industry job?
A Kitchen Porter at Johnsons Wax (the people who make Mr Muscle) at the age of 14.
If you weren’t in kitchens, what would you do?
I'd be an architect. I like buildings and technical drawing styles. I prefer the geometric style of drawing as opposed to imagination, but I love creativity of course though, hence why I cook.
What industry figure do you most admire, and why?
Heston Blumenthal. The impact that he has made on the way that the world cooks and thinks about food, it certainly had an impact on me.
What's your pet hate in the kitchen?
Laziness.
What’s the oddest thing a customer has said to you?
“Good job I like fish! The whole menu was fish”. I run a fish restaurant called The Little Fish Market!
Sum up your cooking style in a single sentence.
Respectful of the ingredient with a gentle nudge on its way. A classical style with a modern touch.
What’s the worst review you’ve ever had?
When a customer said my smoked mushrooms tasted like eating an ashtray
What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?
Keep your head down and your ears open
Which single item of kitchen equipment could you not live without?
A flipper! I use a Woostof crank turner and have done every service since I started cooking in 1993.
What would you choose to eat for your last meal?
Pad Krapow, moo grob, kai dow, namh plaa prick, khao neow (stir fry crispy pork with basil, fried egg and chillies marinaded in fish sauce and sticky rice).
À la carte or tasting menu?
Tasting menu.
MasterChef or Great British Menu?
Great British Menu.
Twitter or Instagram?
Instagram.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to death?
Falling fully clothed 60ft out of a tree whilst looking for fish. I was wearing wellies and plunged into ice cold water in December. The walk home was cold!
Where do you go when you want to let your hair down?
Gungho on Preston Street, Brighton
What's your tipple of choice?
Whisky – Glenfarclas 25 year old particularly.
What do you consider your signature dish?
The Little Fish Market Egg & Soldiers.
