A day in the life of the Michelin-starred chef.

It is well known that most chefs have to work long hours. But Mr Jason Atherton is not like most chefs. Having cut his teeth with Mr Ferran Adrià and Mr Marco Pierre White, he opened his flagship restaurant, Pollen Street Social, in 2011 and is now an award-winning, Michelin-gilded, serial restaurateur with 16 outposts that span four continents. His latest, Hai Cenato, a New York-style Italian, is his ninth London restaurant in six years. In the first instalment of a series on the morning routines of high-flying men, we ask Mr Atherton how he prepares himself for the busy day ahead.

I wake up at 6.30 every day. I try to get as much sleep as my work schedule will allow, which is usually about five to seven hours. I normally finish work at 11 or 11.30. By the time I’m in bed, it’s one o’clock.

I have the same routine every morning. The first thing I’ll do is make coffee. I like Illy coffee beans. The first hour of my day is spent with my children – it’s the only time I get to see them because I’m at the restaurant all day.

I always use Penhaligon’s shower gel. I first came across it at Hotel Splendido in Portofino and I loved the scent, so I carry it all around the world with me. I use Tom Ford moisturiser for my face. I spray my hair with Murdock Sea Salt Spray. Then I blow-dry my hair and I put a bit of Kiehl’s hair cream in it.

I have a wardrobe for my work clothes and a wardrobe for my other clothes. I always put on a chef’s jacket for work, and I make sure my trousers for the kitchen are as elegant as if I were going out for dinner. I have a dozen pairs of different coloured work trousers from Thom Sweeney and Richard Anderson on Savile Row. They’re quite light, very slim and cut just above the shoe, which is usually a double monk strap by Berluti or George Cleverley. To finish things off, I often wear a very light cashmere jumper, usually by Brunello Cucinelli or Tom Ford, over the top of my chef’s jacket.

For breakfast, I like to eat a five-egg omelette, with a little bit of Cornish sea salt and pepper. I cook it very lightly in oil, and have it with black coffee. I’ll make my girls anything from pancakes to cereal or porridge. After I’ve driven them to school, I’ll drive to Mayfair to park my car. Then, depending on what my day is, I’ll go to the office or go to Pollen Street Social or one of my other restaurants. These days, I could be doing anything from writing a new cookbook to creating new dishes to meeting new business partners, or doing photoshoots.

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