I was also interested in food, in particular produce because my father sold fruit and veg, but I wouldn’t say it was something I knew intrinsically that I wanted to do. I slowly made my way into it but very quickly learnt it was the path I wanted to pursue.

Every other Saturday afternoon, my family would get together for a huge buffet at my Gran’s house. It was a huge spread, lots of goodies and the item I used to look forward to the most was my Nan’s bread pudding. It was absolutely delicious.

I began my career working part-time at a Greek restaurant in Southampton and, following this, I trained as an apprentice at Rhinefield House Hotel in Hampshire. I then moved to work at Geddes restaurant in Southampton under Jean Christophe Novelli, before stints working for Marco Pierre White and John Burton-Race. I moved to Paris in the Nineties where I worked under chef Alain Sederens at the Lucas Carton – a defining period of my career.

It was fortuitous that I came across the building which became L’Enclume – I was looking for somewhere remote to open a restaurant and a friend of mine let me know about this former blacksmith’s workshop in a small, very quiet village called Cartmel. I was based in the South of England at that time but travelled several hundred miles to see it. I instantly knew it was where I wanted to set up my first restaurant.

My menus are inspired by the natural surroundings, the beautiful terrain, colours and climate of the Lake District and what we are able to grow there on our very own farm, which we’ve called Our Farm, located a few miles from the restaurant.

At Aulis, diners will experience a tasting menu not too dissimilar to what is served at L’Enclume – it’s very much within our signature style and utilises the ingredients from Our Farm but with a few variations for the London audience. Aulis in Soho is overseen by head chef Charlie Tayler. Guests sit at a 12-seater chef’s table and, if they wish, they can really enjoy close interaction with the team throughout the whole meal, watching them while they work because much of it is prepared and cooked directly in front of the guests. It’s a really special experience.

I am travelling quite a bit at the moment so when I’m in the UK I need to focus a lot on my own restaurants so unfortunately, I don’t eat out that much at all. However, I dined at Claude Bosi’s Josephine in Chelsea at the end of last year and that was fantastic.

Being recognised by Michelin over the course of my career is never something I have taken for granted and it’s a huge honour to have achieved this. However, the main advice I can give any chef is not to allow the striving towards stars to dictate your entire working life. Winning stars cannot be the main deciding factor for happiness, nor the only inspiration for the team.

Work hard, stay consistent, consider every detail of the restaurant operation from the sourcing of ingredients, to ensuring the team is properly looked after, and be willing to learn and improve – those are the foundations for a successful hospitality operation. The accolades will hopefully follow. We are constantly pushing, working to improve and we never rest on our laurels – that’s the most important thing.

We’re offering a taste of the Lake District at Royal Ascot, through a one-off five-course menu which draws on our signature style and incorporates various elements of the dishes you can find in our restaurants around the UK. Although we wanted to create a relaxed and informal experience, the menu brings a sense of occasion while incorporating the ingredients at their absolute prime, not to mention incredible views of the Parade Ring.