Chef Tom Aikens shares his travel preferences, emphasizing a passion for discovering good places to eat and balancing relaxation with adventure. He cites Scotland as a favorite destination in the British Isles and details memorable experiences in the Maldives and Paris, highlighting culinary excursions. Aikens values packing lightly, has learned from past travel mistakes, and is planning a beach holiday in Lamu, Kenya, with his partner.

1. Date 29 December 2012
Page 3
My life in travel T
Tom Aikens
‘Travel is finding good places to eat’ adrenalin junkie?
Chef Tom Aikens is
I can’t do a pure beach holiday. I think it’s insane
hosting cookery master
to travel across the world to some exotic place
classes at the Royal
and not move from your sunbed. I like to relax,
Palm, Mauritius, 25-27
but also love water sports and exploring a place.
March, bookable via
Beachcomber Tours
(01483 445685; beach-
Greatest travel luxury?
A laptop. I can’t go on holiday without it. I’m a
combertours.co.uk).
bit of a workaholic, but it also means I can watch
films with my daughter too.
First holiday memory?
My father travelled to France a lot because he Holiday reading?
was in the wine business, so we did a lot of holi- I’m an avid collector of old cookbooks, so I’ll
days in the Auvergne region. I remember driving generally take those with me to read. The old-
from Norfolk, which seemed to take days. We est one I have is from 1850. It’s interesting to see
would always stop en route in Paris to see his how people made things in the past, without the
contacts and friends, and go for a nice lunch. modern equipment we have today.
Favourite place in British Isles? Worst travel experience?
Scotland, for the adventure, the castles, the game They’ve always been in Europe, unfortunately.
and the fishing. I’ve had a couple of really nice When you look at the time it takes to get some-
winter holidays there. where, it seems so easy. In reality, it can take
eight hours, door to door, to get to the south of
Best holiday? France. It would be easier to fly, but some of the
The Maldives. I’ve always liked flying off to the low-cost airlines charge you for everything and
heat in winter. In summer, I tend to go to Europe, it’s always an absolute drama.
with my daughter and partner. We love Ibiza
especially, because you can either do the whole Best hotel?
party scene or relax on the beaches. Claridge’s. I stayed there a few weeks ago with
my partner, just for one night. It’s a traditional
What have you learnt from old English hotel, one of the best in London for
your travels? service, and the rooms are amazing too.
Pack lightly. I always take too much, especially
now that I have a little girl. Also, I’ve learnt that, Worst hotel?
as a chef, going abroad isn’t always about re- A place I stayed at with my parents when I was
laxing. To me, travelling is about finding and younger, just south of Paris. We had rats in the
researching good places to eat. I once travelled room and there were droppings all over the floor.
all the way from Provence to Girona in Spain by
train in a day to find a restaurant. I left at an un- Best meal?
godly hour, got there at noon, had lunch at El Noma in Copenhagen. We went last year, just for
Celler de Can Roca, and returned to France in the a weekend. I know René Redzepi, the chef, very
evening. It was a very extravagant meal. well. We had lunch, stuffed our faces with about
20 courses and wines, ate too much, drank too
Ideal travelling companion? much – and then I flew back and ran the London
My partner. We both like beach holidays, so we Marathon the next day.
go to Ibiza every summer. A lot of our friends go
there too, so we usually go for a couple weeks. Favourite city?
Paris. I worked there a long time ago, and now
Beach bum, culture vulture or my partner’s sister lives there, so we often go
d li j ki ?
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2. Date 29 December 2012
Page 3
over to stay with her. I just love all the museums
and the markets: I always venture out to
the Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen, the huge
flea and antiques market near Clignancourt. I
always find something to buy there. I love
L’Astrance too, run by chef Pascal Barbot. It’s a
small and intimate restaurant, just across the
Right Bank. They do very light, earthy meals,
using lots of vegetables. It’s definitely one of
my favourites.
Where next?
I’m going to Lamu for 10 days, off the coast of
Kenya, for a beach holiday with my partner.
INTERVIEW BY LAURA HOLT
In the deep
midwinter: the
Maldives offers a
dose of sun AFP/GETTY
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