Kevin Thornton

My life in food

“I worked in a restaurant with a Michelin star — I didn’t know what that was at the time!”

What did your mother make you?

My mum made great home-made stews with dumplings, and that’s my abiding memory of childhood food.

What is the meal you will always remember?

Making dinner for my wife, Muriel, for the first time. It was a fillet steak with Burgundy sauce, and she loved it.

What was your defining food experience?

After college in Galway, I went to work in Walton’s Restaurant in London, which had a Michelin star — I didn’t know what that was at the time!

After my job there, I could either return home or travel with some friends to Europe for a holiday. I chose the latter, and, afterwards, I decided to stay on and travel around Europe, working as I went.

This was the beginning of my future as a chef, and the experience broadened my mind and my horizons. I have great memories of summer 1978 in Switzerland, picking grapes and tasting fondue and Swiss white wine.

What’s the first dish you ever cooked?

The first dish I cooked for my parents after studying culinary arts in college was a cherry clafoutis. My ever-encouraging dad complained there was too much alcohol in it.

What is your comfort food?

Bacon, cabbage and boiled Maris Pipers.

What is your hangover cure?

Don’t drink too much, but if you must, have a good breakfast of poached eggs, Bearnaise sauce and Parma ham.

Worst meal ever?

Eating so many orchard apples that my stomach hurt for hours afterwards.

What do you drink?

Water; coffee; wine.

If you could only eat three things for the rest of your life, what would they be?

Honey; butter; and flour — I could make lots of things from them.

What is the most appetising smell in the world?

The smell of baking.

What’s your sweet treat?

Chocolate. I love it.

What do you refuse to eat?

Kidneys — unless I know and trust who is cooking them — because if they are not cleaned correctly, they are terrible.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Butter. I suffer with my sinuses if I eat too much of it, but I love it — particularly Kerrygold.

What’s always in your kitchen?

Talent.

Are you careful about what you eat?

Yes, I am — I don’t eat processed food, and try to eat locally sourced and seasonal foods.

What’s your perfect family meal?

It depends on the time of year, but at the moment, to start, I’d have scallop tartare with fermented turnip, followed by duck breast with celeriac and sweet potatoes, with wild mushroom sauce. To finish, I’d have warm, freshly made plum tartlet with plum sorbet. Kevin Thornton is the brand ambassador for De Dietrich, available from KAL (Kitchen Appliances Limited). See kal.ie for more information In conversation with Sophie White