10 minutes with Florence Knight

What would you eat for your last supper?

An aged rib-eye steak, medium rare, followed by sticky toffee pudding and custard.

What keeps you up in the middle of the night?

Between service I sleep really heavily because I live off about four hours a night.

When have you felt at your sexiest?

Sexy is a funny word for me. I’m normally in a kitchen in baggy clothes smelling of lamb bones.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Pick ’n’ mix.

What has been your greatest mistake?

I’ve made many, but you have to make mistakes to grow as a person.

What last made you cry?

Watching Beasts of the Southern Wild — an incredibly moving film about a father and daughter. The father dies, and my dad died when I was 19, so it has emotions that are close to me.

Who would play you in the film of your life?

Andrea Riseborough. I respect the stuff she has done.

What did you buy with your first pay cheque?

A KitchenAid mixer. I was always buying kit such as copper pans and old crockery that I found in junk shops.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?

I started at the bottom washing plates, but even when you are high up in a kitchen there are some really grim jobs such as gutting squid, which gives me an allergic reaction.

What’s been your biggest fashion mistake?

I have really thick hair. I cut it short when I was in my teens and I looked like a lampshade.

Do you have any secret piercings?

I had my belly button pierced when I was far too young, and regretted it. It leaves a scar — this thing haunts you forever.

Do you have any superstitions?

I’m a bit of a one for saluting magpies; I don’t really know why I do it.

What’s your karaoke song?

I’m banned from singing. Whenever I try, my dogs start yelping.

Who could you not live without?

My husband Richard. We got married in May, so are still newlyweds.

One: A Cook and her Cupboard by Florence Knight is out now (Saltyard Books, £26)