Out of office – George Cheetham on his love for food

george cheethamGeorge Cheetham discusses why London is a fun place to be, his love of food and why it’s important for dentists to have a hobby away from the surgery.

Please introduce yourself

I’m George – born and raised in south-west London. After my undergraduate dental degree up in the Toon (Newcastle), I returned to London to live and further my dental career.

I currently provide aesthetic restorative dentistry in my specialised private clinic in Wimbledon Village. I’m a bit of a dental nerd and do quite a bit of studying and teaching too. But I make the time to forget about teeth!

What do you get up to in your spare time away from dentistry?

A typical weekend may involve a shandy or two at a pub/bar with pals. Although I’ve realised that my ‘parting into the early hours of the morning’ days are over because:

  1. I have too much to do now
  2. The hangovers are too real.

London is a fun place to be because there’s always something going on – food festivals, shows etc.

During lockdown I’ve tried to get stuck into a bit of DIY, dabbled with trying to get a bit green-fingered in the garden (successful Dahlia growth completed), and got my head in the books so I can go back to work a new and improved George.

Are you a foodie? Why and what particular food do you go for?

I love everything to do with food and drink. I do enjoy cooking and I’m alright at following a rough menu, but I’m pretty useless going freestyle.

Lockdown has got me out of the habit of getting takeaways because I have had the time to cook. Usually I’m busy with my practice and prepping lectures etc. So it’s far too easy to open the Deliveroo app than cook a meal!

I love eating out and I’ll eat anything. But If I had to choose a last meal, it would be along the vibes of a modern Japanese restaurant – Zuma or Roka esque. Nothing too stuffy.

Are you into any sport? If so what sport?

Not that sporty to be honest – I enjoy going to the gym and recently got into a bit of running. I think it’s important to stay healthy and working out gives me mental clarity.

Favourite sport has to be skiing. And by ‘skiing’ I mean a few hours of fair weather skiing in the morning then a long lunch with a Chateaubriand and a bottle of Rose.

What type of television/movies do you like – any guilty pleasures?

Okay some series that I enjoyed – Breaking Bad, Lost, Gangs of London.

Movies – love anything to do with space (astronaut ‘space’ not storage solution ‘space’), comedy (Will Ferrell type), bit of action and I’m obsessed with Bond.

Guilty pleasure – 90 Day Fiancé – be sensible and invest some time to watch it from series one.

Do you like to travel and do your hobbies take you anywhere in particular?

Of course I love to travel – I think it’s strange that some people don’t!

In the past I got in the habit of doing a bit too much ‘holidaying’. In the last few years I’ve calmed it down a lot so I could get me head down in my dental career. I added a couple of surgeries to my practice 18 months ago and I want to try to focus on the career for now to possibly lead to an easier life in the future.

Why is it important to have hobbies away from your profession?

Working in dentistry can sometimes be super stressful. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by it all and think that ‘teeth are life’. Especially in these days of social media where it’s too easy to compare yourselves to everyone else.

You have to remember that there’s probably a very high chance that you’ll only live once. I think that having a life outside of dentistry helps you remember this.

Thanks for reading! If you ever want to chat teeth/90 Day Fiancé/or if you think I can help in any way please just give me a shout!

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