Flash-grilled: Ali Munro
What was your first industry job?
Pot wash at 14 - summer 2000, Heinz did green ketchup and Big Brother series one had just started.
If you weren’t in kitchens, what would you do?
I like creative work, I design the menus, socials and branding for the kitchens I operate.
What industry figure do you most admire, and why?
I got into cookery because of Kitchen Confidential. Bourdain’s honesty is refreshing, but at 17 it was all about the counterculture lifestyle he described. I listened to the audiobook last year whilst doing an ultra marathon. At the starting line I was quite teary, it was like listening to an old friend.
What’s your pet hate in the kitchen?
Dirty coffee cups/dirty kitchen cloths lying around. A cold half-drunk flat white is horrible to look at.
What’s the oddest thing a customer has said to you?
I was giving a junior chef a dressing down at the pass in an open kitchen and an old American lady walked by, stopped and said “you’re so silly” with a finger wag. It kind of broke the tension.
Sum up your cooking style in a single sentence…
I’ve never used a set of tweezers in my entire career.
What’s the worst review you’ve ever had?
My least enthusiastic review came from my teenage nephew who said “I don’t regret putting that in my mouth” after eating a Sunday lunch I cooked.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?
I was a gobby little prick as a young chef. I wish I’d taken on all the advice and instructions offered to me, instead of acting like I knew it, so just listen.
Which single item of kitchen equipment could you not live without?
My Moccamaster. Kick starts my day, every day.
What would you choose to eat for your last meal?
Steak tartare and oysters, then fried chicken and caviar, crème brûlée, and finally cheese. Eaten with my partner, Kate.
À la carte or tasting menu?
À la carte.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had in a restaurant?
I’m not sure. Probably a lunch in France, without a table cloth.
What’s your favourite fast food joint?
I don’t really do fast food chains. There’s loads of great independent street food places about. I’ll have a Slam Burger in Hove.
What’s the dish you wish you’d thought of?
Pork pie and paté en croute are an engineering marvel.
MasterChef or Great British Menu?
MasterChef for the drama.
What’s the most overrated food?
Lobster, give me a bit of crab any day.
You’re restaurant dictator for a day – what would you ban?
VAT - 20% is ridiculous.
Who would your dream dinner party guests be?
My late mum and stepdad, we’ve got a lot to catch up on.
What’s your earliest food memory?
I remember my mum having shark on a pizza in northern Italy, maybe she was teasing.
Twitter or Instagram?
Instagram.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to death?
I was being lazy and didn’t pierce chestnuts when roasting, just wrapped the tray in double foil. I took one out steaming hot and went to bite into the shell. The thing blew up in my face. I thought I’d lost my jaw for a minute and I had steam burns all in my mouth and throat.
Where do you go when you want to let your hair down?
The South Downs.
What’s your tipple of choice?
Guinness Zero.
What’s your favourite food and drink pairing?
A sherry and marrow bone luge is a bit of fun.
What do you consider to be your signature dish?
I suppose I’ve become known for doing a whole fried chicken with all the trimmings as Sunday roast at The Windmill.
