Midweek interview with Emporium’s Alex Liddle

Midweek interview with Emporium’s Alex Liddle

This week, we chatted with Emporium Hotel South Bank’s pastry chef while munching on a tray of croissants. Please excuse any typos – our keyboard is covered in crumbs.

The challenge for the industry is…

Staying one step ahead of the curve in a social media driven world. Despite this, we always aim to surprise and delight our guests.

The things I like about my job are…

I love creating and developing new ideas. I also love learning from every person in my team, whilst teaching the next generation – it is extremely rewarding.

And the frustrations are …

Constantly being judged by every person that has watched Masterchef!

If I didn’t work in travel, I would be…

A zookeeper.

My favourite airline is…

I’ve always had great experiences with Singapore and Virgin Airlines.

My proudest moment was…

Sumitting my seventh mountain – here’s to the next!

The naughtiest thing I ever did was…

Not something for public knowledge!

I try to relax by…

Reading… and drinking cocktails.

The last time I feared for my life was…

White water rafting on the Zambezi.

If I can, I always try to avoid…

Speaking too much in public. I get very shy.

I really wish I had…

A puppy.

The best advice I’ve ever received was…

“You’re not the best pastry chef until you can roche water.”

The point being that you should always strive for excellence, but it can never be achieved, so there is always room to do better next time.

I don’t understand why people…

Never leave the country they’re born in. I’m sure it’s fabulous… but the world is a vibrant tapestry of sights, experiences, cultures and FOOD!

My greatest weakness is…

Potato chips. Being a dessert chef, I crave salt constantly. I can’t open a bag without finishing it. No matter how big the bag is!

And my greatest strength is…

Adapting to different peoples needs, whether on a mentoring level within my team, a personal level with friends and family, or just the needs of a guest or client who has a special requirement.

If I won a $1 million lottery (aside from travelling), I would…

Fly all my family and friends to a private island and let loose for a week.

If I was prime minister, I would…

Commit to spending more on educating people on how to look after our planet. It’s an issue that really needs to be taken seriously.

If I could be someone else for one day, I would be …

An astronaut- it would be cool to fly up and see the whole world all at once.

I’ve always wanted to travel to…

South America, preferably across the whole continent in a camper van, for at least a couple of months.

My favourite holiday was…

My honeymoon in Tanzania. We camped across the savannah on safari, sumitted Kilimanjaro, swam on top of Victoria Falls, white water rafted the Zambezi, spent a week on a beautiful island and flew across the Falls on a microlight. It was incredible

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