In the Hot seat - James Rix

Great Pub Chefs - James Rix

What keeps you motivated as a chef? "I've always done this and don't know any different. I always wanted to do good food and it's nice to change people's expectations. It's very fulfilling to see customers trying a new dish and leaving happy."

What annoys you when you go out to eat? "I hate over-fussed food, especially when people try to do something when they don't have the knowledge or the skill. The other day I went to a pub and I had chicken liver parfait with black pudding. The parfait was discoloured because it had been oxidised, the black pudding was cheap and nasty and the rhubarb compote was over-stewed, with no sugar, no lemon juice. It was just horrible."

How do you deal with difficult customers? Because you work so hard, of course there is a part of you that wants to go out and tell them to f*** off, but you can't because you need that money. You can't please everybody, and we try our hardest, so you hope that if somebody doesn't like it, they simply don't come back."

What's your ambition? "I just want this place to be a busy, local gastro pub. If I do 30 for lunch and 30 for dinner Tuesday to Thursday, and then it's packed Friday to Sunday, I'll be happy. I'm not going to make a fortune out of it, but I'd like to get to the position where I can get somebody in the kitchen so I don't have to work every day of the week."