Chef of the Week: Matt Ellis, Executive Chef at Holland Hall in Skelmersdale
How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
I have been at Holland Hall of 7 months.
Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
I trained at Runshaw College, which was a fantastic place to learn my skills.
What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
I enjoy the creative aspect and freedom to create stunning plates of food.
Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Salt, butter and citrus.
Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
My Thermomix, I love it!
What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
Social media has created so many trends, but probably foraging as it seems be everyone’s go to at the moment.
What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
Inconsistency.
What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
Winter, I love braising and slow cooking meats, and all the root vegetables.
Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
Probably dishes that were featured in the ‘Relish’ cookbook for the North West, that was really cool.
How do you come up with new dishes?
Seasonality, flavour profile, and trial and error!
Who was your greatest influence?
Paul Tamburrini at Cameron house.
Tell us three chefs you admire.
Brett Graham, Jason Atherton and George Colambaris.
What is your favourite cookbook?
Midsummer House.
Who do you think are the chefs to watch over the next few months?
Tim Allen, Bret Graham back at The Ledbury and Lisa Goodwin-Allen.
What’s been your favourite new restaurant opening of the last year?
Solo in Aughton.
Indian for Everyone – Hari Ghotra Launches Her New Book
Fresh, flavourful, and full of spices, veggies, and healthy proteins, Indian for Everyone presents over 100 curries, daals, and other classic Indian dishes to make and enjoy.
A former chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Tamarind, as well as a youtube cooking sensation and creator of a popular line of curry kits and sauces, Hari Ghotra’s mission is to demystify Indian cooking so everyone can enjoy its benefits.
In this strikingly beautiful family cookbook, she explores the many perks of traditional Indian spices – including reducing inflammation, lowering blood pressure, and easing pain—and shows how to stock your pantry with the most versatile ingredients. She covers basics like naan and rogan josh, as well as street food, snacks, drinks, and holiday specialties.
These accessible recipes can be enjoyed by even the most casual of cooks (and their little helpers), with simple step-by-step instructions, affordable ingredients and beautiful photographs of the delicious finished dishes to help inspire and guide you in the kitchen.
Many of the recipes are naturally vegan or vegetarian, but can easily be made with meat as well, as detailed in the substitutions section. And she even includes some flavourful Indian twists on beloved classics like mac and cheese and chicken wings.
Break out of your food rut with recipes including:
- Shhmokin’ Tandoori Wings Curried
- Jackfruit Tacos
- Crispy Chicken Bomb with Fenugreek and Garlic Butter
- Movie Night Pepperoni Naanza
- Ricotta Stuffed Shells in Saag Masala
- Chili Chocolate Pots
- Blue Moon Milk
Get ready for a lifetime of adventurous eating with Indian for Everyone!
Purchase your copy now HERE!
Mitchell & Cooper Celebrate the Return of Dynamic
Everyone’s favourite blender is back where it belongs. Chefs can now purchase the Dynamic range of stick blenders through Mitchell & Cooper where it joins other chef favourite brands like Bonzer, KitchenAid and Matfer Bourgeat.
Philippe Mandin-Diraison, Commercial Director at Dynamic is delighted to have rekindled his relationship with Mitchell & Cooper that has spanned almost three decades, he said
“In re-joining the fantastic brand portfolio of light catering equipment offered by Mitchell & Cooper, I really feel like we have come home. When we analysed our UK market share over the past forty years, it was plain to see that Mitchell & Cooper had consistently delivered results for the Hoover of the stick blender market sector. I’m really looking forward to showcasing our range at The Restaurant Show next week.”
The French-made Dynamic is an industry standard stick blender beloved of many chefs and restaurants for its unique abilities and easy-to-use feel – When chefs think stick blender, they think Dynamic.
“We’re delighted that Dynamic has come back to join the family again,” said Guy Cooper, Managing Director of Mitchell & Cooper. “As a small family-run business we take great pride in our collection of world-renowned brands that we supply to chefs and restaurants. Dynamic is one of those brands that we’ve had a long association with and to have them back with us completes our line-up. We take the brand selection very seriously. At Mitchell & Cooper we look for quality products that fulfil a gap in the market. We look for product portfolios that we can grow within the UK distributor structure and when possible, to export to our global customers.”
The stick blender is a must-have tool in almost every kitchen, where it has pride of place for making sauces and soups. One fan of Dynamic is Masterchef Winner, Simon Wood, he said
“We use the Dynamix DMX 160 Combi a lot, it’s just an industry standard. They just keep going and going but the results are always perfect, especially with the connectable whisk and shaft. We’re getting into soup season once more, so It’s good to know we can purchase them again from Mitchell & Cooper.”
Chef of the Week: Sam Jackson, Head Chef at Dexter at Browns in Carmarthenshire
How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
I’ve been working at Dexters at Browns for year and half now.
Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
My passion for cooking comes from early memories of cooking with and watching my nan cook. I am completely self taught.
What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
What I enjoy the most about being a chef is the creativity, and that you never stop learning.
Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Rock salt, butter and olive oil.
Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
I could not live without my Thermomix.
What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
The food trends I’m spotting at the moment is pushing the boundaries of what we know as modern British cuisine.
What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
I believe the most common mistake that lets chefs down is thinking you know everything and you can’t learn anymore so In turn you stop pushing yourself .
What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
My favourite time of year for cooking would have to be the spring as we start to get a really good variety of vegetables coming into season and that we can grow and harvest here in the UK in abundance.
Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
The dish I’m most proud of would have to be a dessert we currently have on at the restaurant at the minute. It’s a 70% dark chocolate delice, caramelised peanuts, peanut butter parfait and hot salted carmel sauce. It gives me a sense of nostalgia as growing up I loved snickers and this dessert eats like a Snickers.
How do you come up with new dishes?
I have 3 main aspects I look at when creating a new dish and they are. What’s in season, I consider how the guests will interrupt it, and then taste taste taste.
Who was your greatest influence?
My greatest influence is my mother as she always showed me growing up just how far hard work can get you and to never stop pushing yourself and your own boundaries
Tell us three chefs you admire.
- Tom Brown
- Paul Ainsworth
- Josh Niland
What is your favourite cookbook?
My favourite cookbook at the moment is ‘How to Cook Meat Properly’ by Ben Foster.
Who do you think are the chefs to watch over the next few months?
- Fred Clapperton
- Will Murray
- Jack Croft
What’s been your favourite new restaurant opening of the last year?
My favourite new restaurant that’s opened within the last year would have to be Feast Pembrokeshire at Tap and Tan. I love their concept of fresh food smoked and cooked over fire.
Chefs’ Forum Chefs Hit Gold at The Welsh Game Fair
Guests, fellow chefs and suppliers were bowled over by the demonstrations put on by The Chefs’ Forum at The Welsh Game Fair last weekend.
Cindy Challoner, Gareth Johns, Nerys Howell and Hywel Griffith all performed multiple times at The British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC) demo stage which was supported by The Chefs’ Forum in compering demos and promoting responsible sourcing of venison and game.
Also on display and being given out was The Welsh Game Guide, produced for Game Meat Wales by The Chefs’ Forum, featuring the top 50 hotels, pubs and restaurants that feature game on the their menu throughout Wales.
“I really enjoyed being at The Welsh Game Fair,” said chef Cindy Challoner. “My pheasant dish went down well and it was great to see my interview in The Welsh Game Guide! I was impressed with how many people were at the Fair and how many really enjoy game.”
Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “We pulled out all the stops for The Welsh Game Fair and all the chefs who appeared on the demo stage were brilliant and it was amazing to see The Welsh Game Guide flying out. It was so popular that it had to go into a reprint so there would be enough copies to go out during the fair.
“That shows how popular Welsh game is and on the stage the chefs created some amazing dishes that shows how versatile and fun game can be on the menu.”
Hywel Griffith, head chef at The Beach House restaurant said: “I was really honoured to be asked to write the foreword to The Welsh Game Guide and it was equally as much fun to be on stage. Game is a fantastic part of the Welsh larder and we are lucky to have so many great suppliers.”
“Working with BASC for the majority of this year has really shown how much The Chefs’ Forum has developed,” Catherine Farinha continued. “After the success of The Great Game Guide we were delighted to be asked to produce a version for Wales.
“As we move more and more into producing content like this we are able to take advantage of our unique networks of chefs, college and suppliers. And with our editorial team we are becoming one of the leading providers of unique chef content which gives the businesses we work with an opportunity to work with chefs in a new way.”
View The Welsh Game Guide online HERE
Photo credit: Dani Paiva
Welsh Chefs Line-up to Celebrate a Gamey Autumn at The Welsh Game Fair
The BASC Food Theatre at The Welsh Game Fair has been the centre of game cookery today and this is set to continue over the weekend!
Supported by the The Chefs’ Forum, the line-up of chefs includes Nerys Howell, Gareth Johns, Simon Wood (pictured), Cindy Challoner and Hywel Griffith.
Visitors will also be able to pick-up the newly-launched Welsh Game Guide produced and written by The Chefs’ Forum for BASC and Game Meat Wales, which includes a guide to everything game in Wales and 50 great restaurants, hotels and pubs to visit that serve game on their menu.
Guests can also enjoy a fantastic menu served in the VIP on-site restaurant being showcased by Bryn Williams (Odette’s) and Game & Flames’ Cai Ap Bryn, Alex Posami and team!
Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “We’re really excited to be at The Welsh Game Fair and to be bringing a stellar line-up of chefs with us.
“Gareth Johns from the Wynnstay in Machynlleth will be cooking pheasant with curry and apples. A tagliatelle of rabbit with tomato, herbs and olives. A warm salad of pigeon with brambles and venison with red wine and chocolate.
“Today Simon Wood, from Wood Restaurant, did a wood pigeon with sweet & sour baby blackberries, beetroot glazed in Marsala and aged mirin.
“Cindy Challoner is doing roast pheasant with parsnip purée and abbage parcels and Hywel Griffith from Beach House Restaurant is doing Roast Loin of Roe Deer with Perl Las Cheese, Bacon, Pear & Jerusalem Artichoke.
“Come and see us!”
Chef of the Week: Mike Arnopp, Head Chef at The Olive Tree Restaurant at Celtic Manor in Newport
How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
I started at Celtic Manor this week!
Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
I wish I had an interesting story along the lines of I cooked with my grandmother at 4am every morning baking bread, it didn’t happen like that ! I was always self-motivated as a child, if I wanted something I did it. From a young age I would have a go at anything. My son is much the same now, he want to be a farmer however I think he will be a chef. Whilst I was at school, I took catering as one of my options along with a record number of other boys. We had a teacher, Miss Babbage who gave me my inspiration.
What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
Being natural is what I like about being a chef, when in a kitchen I’m very organised and I know what I want done. I have a large range of skills, so can jump in on any section. I like the long hot sweaty shifts where the whole team is bouncing, good food and good vibes, easy job when you enjoy it.
Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Double cream, quality butter & tarragon.
Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
My electric pressure cooker maybe ? I will always make do with anything else.
What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
For myself supporting local produce, I do follow trends but then trends pass quickly. I have made my own smoker so local game, fish & vegetables go into it. I also love sushi/Japanese clean foods.
What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
I think the largest thing that lets a chef down is arrogance, I see a lot of it but they don’t normally last long.
What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
April-June, asparagus season, I just love asparagus. By itself or with almost any other dish, With home-smoked salmon, poached egg & fresh hollandaise! My favourite breakfast.
Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
My own breakfast dish above I love most, proud of it when its my own caught salmon/trout and eggs from our chickens. Not that I’m prouder of it, I just seem to like it more when in season.
How do you come up with new dishes?
I normally work with the team or simply see a picture and I’ll take my own take on it.
Who was your greatest influence?
Keith Floyd, simple! Growing up with him on the tv was class. Too many chefs over do it, he made simple food great. What more could you want?
Tell us three chefs you admire.
Joyce Molyneux, one of the first women to receive a Michelin star. She ran The Carved Angel in Dartmouth, one of her recipes I found in a book Anton Mosimann “Take Twelve Cooks”. I then bought her books from there.
Keith Floyd Pure legend! Also, at the moment I like Hywel Griffith from The Beach House in Oxwich, part of The Seren Collection. I love his style of cooking, from local game to his fish dishes.
What is your favourite cookbook?
One of Joyce Molyneux for old time recipes or my original Theory of Catering dating back to 1985.
Who do you think are the chefs to watch over the next few months?
Hywel Griffith at The Beach House. Exose Grant and Nathan Davies from SY23 Aberystwyth, been twice now and loved the food.
What’s been your favourite new restaurant opening of the last year?
My favourite so far has been The Coast Restaurant in Saundersfoot, The location alone with great food & service. Faultless.
Waterford Crystal Glasses Shine at Casa Brasil
A beautifully-made glass can really enhance whatever is in it and this couldn’t have been truer than at the sensory wine and cachaça tasting at Apex Brasil’s Casa Brasil. Waterford Crystal rocks glasses were chosen to showcase the two cachaças while the white glass and the hybrid glasses were used for white and rosé wines.
Waterford Crystal boasts an elegant range of handcrafted crystal wine glasses. The crisp rims and detailed bowls capture the dense notes and gives the beautiful flavours room to breath – Perfect for this blind tasting event, where taste and smell are heightened and the feel of the glass in the hand, so very important.
Hospitality guests at the special “sensory wine and cachaça tasting experience” led by world-renowned Dr Hoby Wedler, were blindfolded before tasting from the various glasses. All to enhance the senses and fully experience the true flavours of the drinks.
The samples were small and the glasses comparatively large, but this was an absolutely perfect way to maximise on having enough space to inhale the delicious flavour notes dancing around the beautiful bowls of the glassware.
Dr. Hoby Wedler is an insightful, disarming, and passionate thinker who loves to bring people together to help them see new possibilities. The experience was given a touch of subtle elegance that only Waterford Crystal can add to any place-setting
With the heart of a teacher, Hoby helps turn dreams into realities. Hoby has been completely blind since birth. He is a chemist, an entrepreneur, a sensory expert, and is driven by his passion for innovative, creative, and insightful thinking.
Hoby wowed wine sector experts at the event when he correctly identified the year, alcohol content and acidity of three different wines that he had never tasted or heard of before – This was the moment when the guests realised that they were in the company of a genius.
Hoby is remarkably tuned into his surroundings and has frequently chosen to walk the unbeaten paths in life over known territories – This time it was an immersive Brazilian event in London to showcase a fantastic range of Brazilian wines to hospitality industry professionals and everyone was delighted to meet him.
In 2016, Hoby earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from UC Davis. His fearlessness is infectious, and he has actively paved the way for others to join him in his quest to follow passions regardless of the challenges that lie ahead.
Aroma samples were also used to really set the scene with three pots containing fresh passion fruit and lime zest; star anise and a third with light muscavado sugar
All twenty participants were blindfolded at the start as Hoby led a meditation session to get participants into the zone – purely focusing on using the ears to set the scene and then talking about everything that they would associate with Brazil.
“We then moved on to the tasting and the aromatic samples,” said Catherine Farinha of The Chefs’ Forum. “It was a mind-blowing and emotional experience for all of us as we felt what it was like to walk a mile in Hoby’s shoes in an hour- long journey of touch, taste, smell and hearing the way he does when exploring food and wine- It was really quite extraordinary.”
“The Waterford Crystal stemware greatly added to the whole experience as the guests were encouraged to cover the top of the glasses and taste the wines and cachaças again for yet another flavour perception of tropical smells that filled the bowl.”
The wines being tasted in the Waterford Crystal Hybrid and white wine glasses were:
- Miolo Milesimme Brut 2015
- Familia Geisse Amadeu Brut
- Pizzato Fausto Chardonnay 2022
- Guaspari Vale da Pedra Syrah 2020
The two Cachaças tasted in the Waterford Crystal rocks glasses were:
- Weber Haus aged cachaca 3 years old
- 1922 aged cachaca (Sao Paulo state)
Dr Hoby would love to work with members of The Chefs’ Forum and has already expressed his interest in working with our Chefs’ Forum Academy colleges.
Anyone interested in finding out more about Waterford Crystal, Brazilian wine or masterclasses with Hoby should email catherine@redcherry.uk.com
Photo credit: Daniela Luquini
Foie Royale Entier Range – Winner of the ‘Innovative Product of the Year’ at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair Awards 2022
Foie Royale Entier was awarded Innovative Product of the Year at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair Awards 2022 on 5 September. A brand new product that demonstrated creativity and innovation at the heart of its concept.
Foie Royale Entier
Many chefs have applauded the similarity in taste of the Classic range of Foie Royale to foie gras. The versatility of the product across such a broad range of dishes has inspired many delightful recipes.
With the aim of encouraging more people to switch to this ethical alternative to foie gras, with no force-feeding, the company continued innovating and researching. Four years after the launch of the Classic range, the new Foie Royale Entier range has been produced that not only gives that great Foie Royale taste but also replicates the texture of foie gras. After many rounds of taste testing, it became clear that it was the one that everyone was looking for. This is the Foie Royale Entier range.
Foie Royale Entier is produced by merging different batches of the Classic range which delivers the textural variation and density that you get from foie gras. Not only does it taste great and feel like a natural product in the mouth, but there is also the visual difference where the different layers’ colour and density are visible, creating a much more natural looking product.
The Entier range will undoubtedly satisfy many foie gras consumers out there; especially those who worry about how their food was made, as Foie Royale is both sustainable and produced to the highest ethical standards in Europe.
Mike Logut, Managing Director of Sapphire Foods Ltd – Foie Royale commented, “It is fantastic to receive this award. After 7 years of research to create Foie Royale, the development of the Entier range was born out of consumers loving the flavour and asking for a more natural textural taste. We are very proud to have a created this product, that does indeed beg the question why any animal now needs to be gavaged or indeed even having its liver enlarged at all.”
The Awards
The Awards are a key element of the Speciality & Fine Food Fair – the UK’s leading showcase of artisanal food and drink. Recognising and celebrating the individuals and businesses driving excellence and product innovation in the fine food & drink community, the Speciality & Fine Food Fair Awards champion all that makes the industry such a remarkable and inspiring place.
The awards ceremony was hosted by Speciality & Fine Food Fair Event Manager Nicky Woods, who commented: “We had a fantastic number of entries into the awards this year. Just a few weeks ago, the judges sat around a table in Speciality & Fine Food Fair HQ and tasted a huge amount of wonderful and innovative products and it was a really tough decision to select the finalists for the public vote. Huge congratulations to all today’s winners!”
Awards judge Stephen Minall, Owner of Moving Food and Co-Founder of FDReviews, added: “I was delighted to be one of the judges for the Speciality & Fine Food Fair Awards 2022. There were some fantastic entries across all the categories and some truly delicious and innovative products as well as a group of very knowledgeable judges.”
The judges for this year’s awards were Scott Winston, Buying Manager, Mindful Chef; Adrian Boswell, Food Buyer, Selfridges; Bruce Langlands, Management Consultant; Stephen Minall, Owner, Moving Food and Vhari Russell, Managing Director, The Food Marketing Expert.
Chef of the Week: Ashley Dempster, Head Chef at The Deck House in Taunton
How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
I have been at The Deck House since May 2023.
Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
My passion for cooking came from my mother and my love for cooking shows since I was a toddler, I honed my skills by teaching myself not only from books but also by getting a job at a hotel in Torquay which taught me a lot.
What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
The satisfaction I get from knowing I’ve potentially made somebodies day by sending out a great plate of food. Giving customers great experiences, and the knowledge that I’m able to pass down to younger chefs.
Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Salt, garlic and butter.
Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
Sharp knives.
What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
Not only the flexi-tarian movement, but also the new creative ideas in vegan food. Here at the Hideout we’re serving vegan wings made from spiced jackfruit using a sugar cane as a “bone”.
What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
Not tasting before sending out and poor time management.
What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
For me it has to be spring, lots of delicious veg starts coming into season and it’s great to use them when they’re at their best.
Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
My wife comes from the Philippines, which has a rich food history, so coming up with ideas based on her background and mine is really fun. Such as making adobo chicken wings, goes perfect with a cold red horse beer (Filipino beer).
How do you come up with new dishes?
I find inspiration from one or two ingredients then I get lightbulb moments and the rest comes from there.
Who was your greatest influence?
The Roux brothers. The Roux Brothers on Patisserie was the first book I was given and it has guided me well.
Tell us three chefs you admire
Mitch Tonks – I had the pleasure of working at rockfish for almost 3 years and his approach to sustainability and environmental impacts is very inspiring. At the same time as using the freshest fish from Brixham fish market.
Marco Pierre White – trained some of the greats of today, a real legend of gastronomy.
Clare Smyth – Absolutely amazing chef at the top of her game, her food at Core is a true gastronomic experience.
What is your favourite cookbook?
The Roux Brothers on Patisserie.
Who do you think are the chefs to watch over the next few months?
Adam Handling and Exose Grant.
What’s been your favourite new restaurant opening of the last year?
Kasa and Kin in Soho, London – Amazing Filipino restaurant and sells delicious baked goods too. Everyone must go and check them out!
