I spoke with Phurba Sherpa after he was crowned the Best Outdoor Guide in the World at the Wanderlust World Guide Awards. We chatted sausage rolls, summits and what it takes to become the world’s best guide.

But the UK delivered more firsts for Phurba than sausage rolls; his first time taking a train, for example, and his first ride on a double-decker bus. ‘It’s totally different from Nepal,’ he says. ‘The people and culture. The landscapes, the food.’ He tells me he found a t-shirt emblazoned with “Sex and sausage rolls”, though he’d be hesitant, he admits, to wear it in Nepal –’It might be difficult for people to understand.’