Clive’s journey to Birkenhead House began immediately after he left school. In need of employment, he joined his father in the family butchery and began to acquire the skills required to become a top chef. While Clive loves what he does, there are hazards to being known to be skilled in the kitchen.

Perhaps the worst of these, at least for Clive, is being invited to someone’s house for dinner, and finding that he ends up being asked to cook. The flip side of this is of course the joy that Clive gets from having someone else cook for him – a rare treat indeed!

Food is necessary, of course, but that doesn’t mean that it needs to be ordinary. Clive believes that it should be suffused with joy. You could call it a simple pleasure, but Clive is also determined that each dish he makes should be a reflection of who he is, and that his pride in what he does shows in the food he presents to guests and diners at Birkenhead House.

Clive’s culinary hero is British “bad boy” chef Marco Pierre White, famous for being the first “celebrity chef” and the first British chef to be awarded three Michelin stars.

When it comes to actually working in the kitchen, Clive’s essential tools are the three things that no chef can do without: his knife, a pan, and a source of heat. His favourite ingredients, meanwhile, are paprika and thyme – see if you can spot them, and detect Clive’s love of all things simple, flavourful and South African, when you come dine with us at Birkenhead house.