Desert island dishes

Ben Dutson
Food innovation director, Sodexo Live!

Cottage pie
This is my favourite home comfort dish, especially my mum’s version.

Chinese duck
My go-to dish when I am ordering a takeaway. The duck needs to be crispy, juicy, and tasty.

BBQ langoustine
Scottish langoustines in season are among the best things to eat, and I particularly enjoy them when they are simply barbequed.

Ribeye steak
You can’t beat a flavourful and tender steak, and my favourite is a good quality ribeye with rich marbled fat.  

Christmas dinner
This has to be served with all the trimmings, of course.

Linguine with wild garlic peso
We have this a lot in spring. Even though the dish is so simple, its very delicious and fresh.

Falafel flatbread with yogurt, mint, and cucumber
My wife is a vegetarian, so this is a street food favourite of ours that we make at home frequently, and non-veggies love it too.

Chocolate fondant with homemade vanilla ice cream
Who doesn’t love a gooey and delicious dessert? It’s not always the easiest to make, and it’s all a matter of timing, but it’s certainly a crowd-pleaser at our house.

What one luxury item would you want?
I think a mobile phone is probably a bit obvious, but if not, then it would have to be a Nintendo Switch. I like doing a bit of gaming to relax and it would certainly help pass the time.

Which one book would you take with you?
Duncton Wood by William Horwood. A moving love story that, at times, can be as dark as it is uplifting.

If you could only have one of the eight dishes which would it be?
Christmas dinner. Even alone on a desert island, I think it would still be my favourite. Although sadly, there would be nobody to pull a cracker with!

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