Mark Hix

With four eponymous London restaurants and one Dorset venue, Mark Hix has revitalised the great British meat and seafood tradition. Alicia Miller talks to him about what he does in his time off

When I’m not running between my restaurants

you might find me off on a long weekend with some of my chefs in Paris or New York. Trips like this are a ‘thank you’ for my staff, but they also give us a chance to brainstorm – both these cities have such inspiring culinary scenes. I especially like New York; it’s a bit edgy. I try not to visit the same place twice, except for Fatty Crab (https://www.fattycrabs.com/), my favourite Malaysian restaurant.

Mitch Tonks and I really hit it off

at the Abergavenny Food Festival; we met there through a mutual photographer friend and realised we have quite a bit in common. We really enjoy having a few (or more than a few!) drinks together in London, and I try to get down to his restaurant in Dartmouth, The Seahorse (https://www.seahorserestaurant.co.uk/), as often as I can – he always prepares something fantastic for me.

I have oyster and crab pots in the West Country,

where I relax at weekends. I grew up in Lyme Regis, which is why I opened a restaurant there, but it’s also great for foraging. Most of what I find is enjoyed by me and a few friends; I forage for mushrooms and sea veg, and cook spontaneously. If I have a haul of lobsters or crabs I will grab some sea spinach or samphire on the way to my lodge by the sea, then prepare the shellfish as a salad or on the grill – really simply. In the mornings I’ll pop into the Town Mill Bakery (https://townmillbakery.wordpress.com/), which also supplies my restaurant, for a coffee and a slice of cake.

After a long night in the kitchen

there’s nothing like a couple of good cocktails. As a chef I’ve had the chance to try all sorts of fantastic wines, beers, whiskys – you name it – but my particular favourite has to be a Negroni. If it’s after midnight, I switch to espresso martinis. When I’m hungry I head to a Vietnamese on Kingsland Road, such as Viet Grill (http://www.thevietnamesekitchen.co.uk/).

Fishing is a kind of escape for me

– I like being on the water, it’s where I relax; I guess this is because I was brought up on the coast. In Dorset I catch sea bass – they are great fun to chase – and I take an annual fishing trip to Scotland, where I also shoot grouse and partridge. I always take my rod when I travel, so I’ve had the chance to fish all over the world. In Costa Rica I chased sailfish, a big, long-snouted fish; I had to throw my catch back though, as they are heavily protected.

Having great producers

is what makes cooking and designing a menu fun, so that’s why I spend on average a weekend every month finding new suppliers or visiting my existing ones. I usually find producers, such as Trealy Farm Cured Meats (http://www.trealyfarm.com/) in Monmouthshire, through food festivals I attend or through recommendations from chefs I trust.

I never really wanted to be a chef,

it’s something I fell into. When I was in my last year of secondary school I hated metalwork class, and was desperate to change subject – so I joined a cooking course instead. To this day I still don’t have a clue what I’d be if I wasn’t a chef!