In association with

In the build up to The Staff Canteen Live 2016 – Skillery in association with Westlands and supported by the Craft Guild of Chefs at Hotelympia 2016, we are taking a closer look at the who will be joining us on stage - next up Aaron Mulliss who will be on stage with Tom Kerridge and head chef of The Coach, Nick Beardshaw.

Aaron Mulliss is head chef at Tom Kerridge’s The Hand & Flowers in Buckinghamshire. He has been an integral part of the kitchen staff since 2007 and quickly impressed Tom Kerridge. He was promoted to head chef of the Hand & Flowers in 2010 after experience in London and the West Country.

If you can give us an outline of your role, responsibilities, the sort of things you do on a day to day basis, let's start there.

"I'm currently the head chef of the Hand and Flowers pub in Marlow. My day to day job is primarily to make sure that we keep the standard of the food as if Tom was here day in day out. We've got a Michelin star 6/10 in the GFG so to keep that standard is very important."

So where were you working before then? Had you worked in a Michelin environment?

"This is the first Michelin-starred restaurant I've worked in. Actually tell a lie I did three days at Royal Hospital Road. I got offered a job I took it and I lasted three days!"

>>> Read more in the Behind The Chef series here

At The Staff Canteen we want to see what makes chefs tick. We asked Aaron a few questions about what he gets up to when not in the kitchen:

Would you rather order a starter or a pudding?

"Pud." What would your last meal be?

"Two savaloys, two gherkins, large chips, and a can of Dr Pepper."

What was the last thing you ate?

"Rum Baba."

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

"One half of an Erasure Tribute Act."

If you could choose to dine in any restaurant in the world which would you choose?

"Roberts Steak House, NYC."

Who is you celebrity crush?

"First ever was Carol Decker, now it's Sienna Miller!"

If someone was to write your biography what would it be called?

"'Livin The Dream' sub heading 'Too Many Cooks Spoil The Books'".

What do you listen to in the kitchen?

"MAGIC FM."

What are you most proud of?

"Being a small part of the Hand and Flowers journey."

If you could own another chef’s restaurant whose would you choose?

"Daniel, NYC."

Who would you trust to run your restaurant?

"Keith Richards and Ozzy Osbourne."

Why did you choose to get involved with the Staff Canteen Live?

"The Staff Canteen have been incredibly supportive to us and it’s our chance to repay Mark Morris (Managing Director of The Staff Canteen) and his incredible team."

Visitors can go to www.hotelympia.com and register now for a free ticket to the show.

>>> Read more about The Staff Canteen Live 2016 at Hotelympia

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.