The executive head chef at Bovey Castle, Mark Budd, part of the Midlands-based Eden Hotel Collection, has worked at The Savoy, The Ritz and The Dorchester – but credits his pastry chef gran as his earliest inspiration

Tell us about your cooking?

My cooking is rooted in classic techniques and flavours. I like food that has a sense of history to it, but above all it has to be executed properly. I’m not interested in adding things to a plate for the sake of it. Good ingredients, strong flavours and getting the fundamentals right are what matter to me.

How did you become a chef?

Food was always part of my family. My gran was a pastry chef, so I grew up around cooking and I think that influence was there from an early age. I trained in London and worked at The Savoy, The Ritz and The Dorchester, which gave me a really strong grounding in classical cooking. Working in kitchens like those teaches you discipline, consistency and respect for the craft, and those are things that have stayed with me throughout my career.

What do you eat at home?

Lots of variations on pasta dishes. I spend my working life around food, so at home I tend to keep things fairly simple. A good bowl of pasta is hard to beat.

Who’s the best chef in the world and why? 

I don’t think there is one single ‘best chef’ in the world. There are too many brilliant chefs doing very different things. Alain Ducasse and Pierre Gagnaire are two chefs I’ve always admired. They both have incredible technical ability and have had a huge influence on the industry, while maintaining very distinctive styles of their own.

What was your favourite food as a kid?

A Curly Wurly. Some things don’t need improving.

Food heaven and food hell?

Heaven would be chilli nachos. Proper comfort food. Hell is Marmite. I’ve never been converted.

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve eaten?

Kangaroo tail. Definitely one of the more unusual things I’ve tried over the years.

Share a cooking tip

Always rest your meat after cooking it. For something like a roast, give it around 20 minutes before carving. It allows the meat to relax and the juices to redistribute rather than running straight out onto the board. It makes a huge difference.

If you weren’t a chef, what would you be?

A stuntman. Although being a chef is probably dangerous enough.

Give us a nice easy recipe for our readers to make at home

My blueberry and buttermilk Panna Cotta is a really simple dessert that you can prepare in advance, which is always useful when you’re cooking for friends or family.

Ingredients:
• 1 litre double cream
• 150g caster sugar
• 2 vanilla pods
• 6 leaves of gelatine
• 1 litre buttermilk
• Blueberry consommé to serve
• Apple sorbet and apple crisps, to garnish

Method:
First, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water until softened. Place the double cream, caster sugar and vanilla in a saucepan and gently bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, squeeze excess water from the gelatine and stir it into the warm cream until completely dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before stirring through the buttermilk.
Pour a layer of blueberry consommé into the bottom of each serving glass and freeze until firm. Pour the panna cotta mixture over the frozen blueberry layer, then refrigerate until completely set.
To serve, finish with a spoonful of apple sorbet and an apple crisp.