On the Spot with Ed Taylor

What was your first job? 

My first job was working in a restaurant kitchen washing the pots and pans. From there, I began assisting the chefs in the kitchen and picked up some basic cooking skills, which have proved very useful since!

If you weren’t in your present position, what would you be doing?

I might have chosen a career in professional sport as a data analyst in either football or cricket as I’m a huge fan of both.

What is the worst mistake you’ve ever made?

Not taking a year out either before I started at university or after I graduated so that I could travel and see the world but planning our travels post-pandemic is keeping me going.

What’s your ideal day away from the office 

A day trip to Whitby with my wife and daughter – climbing the 199 steps before a nice lunch at the Magpie Café and buying some sweets from one of the old-fashioned sweet shops.

Name one person you would like to have dinner with? 

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp – he is my hero, knows football inside and out and would be a great laugh to have dinner with. I’m not sure I could match him for drinks though…

What was your best subject at school? 

Mathematics – I was very fortunate that I found maths easy to grasp and I particularly liked the fact the answers were either right or wrong.

What are your hobbies? 

I’m a big fan of Liverpool FC and (pre-Covid) loved going to watch them on a regular basis. I also love cricket and played for many years in the York Senior Cricket League. I also like to play the guitar and enjoy cooking and baking.

What would you do if you won the lottery?

I would love to travel more and see more of the world. In particular, I am desperate to visit New Zealand and Australia and would like to go back to Hawaii.

What is your favourite time of the day?

My favourite time of the day is early morning. I love being up before the world wakes up, it feels peaceful and serene. On a weekend, I particularly love making a nice cup of coffee and reading a good book first thing.

What would you like your epitaph to be? 

I can’t say it better than The Beatles – “All these places have their moments, with lovers and friends I still can recall. Some are dead and some are living, in my life I’ve loved them all” (In My Life’).