Alan has always been passionate about food, his knowledge fuelled particularly by time spent travelling and working abroad in Europe and further afield. After graduating in modern languages from St. Andrew’s University in 1999, he worked for Brindisa, the renowned Spanish food importers, deli and restaurateur. During this period, one of the highlights was returning to Spain, to study the art of carving Jamón Ibérico. Alan reported this experience for BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme.