Tom's kitchen

In another of our interview segments with DCI Tom Douglas, he talked about his love of cooking, his taste in music, and a trip he made - for work reasons - to the lovely island of Alderney. Here on the website you can find some of his favourite recipes, but for now, let's take a look at his kitchen.

I'm led to believe that Tom Douglas spends more time in the kitchen, it seems, than in any other part of the house. So what does he have to say about his life away from the police force?

Interviewer: We hear you are a great cook, Tom! What is your favourite recipe?

Tom: I love to cook Indian food – but not just curry. I have a few great Indian cookery books that don’t have a single curry in them – just delicious dishes like spiced monkfish in a tomato and coconut sauce. But a lot of these dishes take all day to cook, so I have to be practical. My favourite quick dish is chicken in mascarpone and white wine sauce. I can make that in about ten minutes, and let it cook for another ten.

Interviewer: What music do you like to listen to at home?

Tom: Thanks to my brother Jack I have very eclectic tastes in music. He was into Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy - any heavy rock, really - at a time when I was more interested in pop music. He used to drag me into his bedroom to listen to “the good stuff”, and as a result, I will genuinely listen to anything. As long as it’s not Michael Bublé, that is. I do like my music to have a bit of emotion.

Interviewer: In a recent well-known crime case, you ended up in Alderney, in the Channel Islands. Hw did you find the island?

Tom: I wish I could have stayed for longer, and I’ll certainly go back there with the kids for a holiday. The beaches were just incredible – it was like being in the tropics when I looked out of my hotel window at the white sand and the turquoise sea. The people are incredibly friendly too, and it’s virtually crime-free – so maybe the perfect place for me to retire to, when the time comes.

Braye Beach, Alderney

Interviewer: And recently, at the other extreme, you spent time in Venice. Is that somewhere you'd like to visit again?

Tom: (laughs) Well, it was a fairly full-on experience and not exactly time to take in the sites. It's a magnificant city and under any other circumstances I would have been thrilled to be there. But I think it will be a while before I can go back without imagining people lurking around corners, watching and waiting.