Nick Allen, owner and head chef at The Joshua Tree Bistro, Kendal, which he runs with his wife

Essential ingredients

For me it is salt and pepper, as many fresh herbs I can get my hands on and garlic - everything tastes better with a little garlic.

First kitchen worked in

I started at The Gleneagles Hotel, in Scotland, as a third commis chef cooking for the 200-cover main hotel restaurant where I was part of a kitchen brigade of more than 80 chefs. I made a lot of lifelong friends in that kitchen. It was a tough introduction to professional cooking and I would do it all again at the drop of a hat!

First dish I prepared

The first thing I did was learn how to pan fry a whole Dover sole and then finish it with a proper beurre noisette. It's still one of my favourites.

Signature dish

I change my mind that often I don’t have a signature dish as such. I like to be spontaneous and cook what looks and tastes good. My favourite at the moment is our baked goat's cheese with a hazelnut crust on a beetroot and apple salad. It is literally flying out, but it is very tasty.

Food philosophy

Keep it simple! A wise old chef once said to me as you get older you will start to put less and less on the plate. It suddenly becomes clear you don’t need fifteen ingredients on a dish but just three or four at the most. Cook them well and it is that simple.

Biggest kitchen disaster

One busy evening while working in a London hotel's banqueting kitchen I was pushing a trolley of 100 plated starters into a lift. The wheel went down the gap and the lot went over on top of me! I can’t repeat what the larder chef said but it was very colourful.

My favourite chef

It has to be my old friend Nathan Outlaw who runs the two Michelin-starred Restaurant Nathan Outlaw in Rock, Cornwall. He just does what he does and keeps it simple and he is such a nice guy as well.

My biggest influence

This one is easy to answer. The biggest influence on my career was Peter Kromberg. He was my executive chef for nearly seven years while I worked at the Intercontinental Hotel on Park Lane, in London. He taught me how to cook, taste, organise myself and how to get the best out of people. Sadly he died a few years ago and I think the industry lost a very good role model and mentor.

My favourite meal

The seafood tasting menu at Nathan Outlaw's restaurant. Absolutely stunning dishes using the freshest seafood Cornwall has to offer, cooked to perfection and the best service I have ever experienced.