Tom Doorley, food and wine critic

Where did you go to school?

Belvedere College.

What was your best subject?

English or history.

What was your worst subject?

Maths. I once got 3 per cent in an exam - for getting the teacher's name right. Passing it in the Inter was probably due to a clerical error.

If you could put a new subject on the Leaving Cert, what would it be?

Not sure. But I'd make Latin compulsory and drop Irish.

What was your earliest career ambition?

Bus conductor. It wasn't the glamour that appealed, it was the money. I thought they got to keep it all. I was five.

Who was your favourite teacher and why?

Gerry Haugh for English and history - he constantly strayed beyond the curriculum. He produced the brilliant school plays (he still does) and took us to Stratford-upon-Avon.

Who was your childhood idol?

Sean Connery as James Bond.

Who were your best friends?

Alan Glynn, now a novelist, and Sean Moran, now writing on the GAA for The Irish Times.

What TV programme/film most reminds you of your school days?

Dad's Army.

What song most reminds you of your school days?

10CC's I'm Not in Love

What food most reminds you of your school days?

Industrial grade oxtail soup.

What was your school uniform like?

A grey sweater with a black-and-white band around the v-neck, a black and white tie and a rather unpleasant green cap.

What's the boldest thing you ever did in school?

Smoking what appeared to be a joint (but was actually herbal tobacco, honestly) to wind up the head boy (Brian Lenihan, now a TD). It worked.

Who did you bring to your debs?

If we had had such an event I probably would have asked a very sweet and pretty girl called Michele Birthistle.

What was your most memorable holiday?

Hitch-hiking on my own around the West in the blazing summer of 1976.

Where did you go to college and what did you study?

Trinity College, Dublin to study history. And I did an HDipEd.

Would you send your own children to the same school that you went to?

Impossible, as they are all girls. No disrespect to the Jesuits (well, not much), but I prefer the Quaker ethos at Newtown School, Waterford, where my daughters go.

What was the best thing about your education?

Friends. I still keep in touch with five school mates despite rather than because of having been at Belvedere together. And the school plays.

What was the worst thing about your education?

The tedium.