SF_Marketing, Author at The Chefs' Forum

The Manchester College Virtual Hospitality Taster Day was a Great Success!

Almost one thousand future students participated in The Manchester College’s first ever Couch to College event. The Hospitality and Catering session was hosted by the Hospitality and Catering teaching team, Masterchef Winner and Chefs’ Forum Academy Patron, Simon Wood and Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum.

Catherine Farinha interviewed Simon at his restaurant, Wood Restaurant, Manchester, in a Microsoft Teams Live event, asking him what he thinks it takes to be successful in the hospitality industry. He offered hints and advice on what young chefs and hospitality professionals should be doing to maximise on their training.

Simon recommended books to read and communicated to the students that they must never stop learning, fondly recounting foodie stories of his childhood and chefs who he admires.

Catherine was delighted to host the session with Simon at his restaurant, she said
“It is great to be able to find a way of continuing to raise the profile of The Manchester College and The Chefs’ Forum Academy while restrictions remain in place. It is crucial that we do all we can to drive registrations at the college for the coming academic year. We very much look forward to welcoming chefs back into the college again once permitted and will continue to support the college virtually in the interim. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Academy chefs for their ongoing help and support.”

Last month, the college hosted 37 online sessions to help new students transition from school to college by meeting their Tutors, tour college campuses and explore the wide range of courses and qualifications available to them.

Watch the full session here:

Mark Cooper, Course Lead for Technical Patisserie was very instrumental in organising and hosting the event from a college perspective, he said
“This event was important for all, to give a great insight into what students can learn at college and the specialist chefs they will meet on the course – Simon Wood being one of them. They will also have the opportunity to participate in competitions and assist with the organisation of local and regional events. The virtual taster day gave a full-rounded experience of what students can expect when enrolling onto a course at our college – It was a great success for all involved and a format that we will repeat again. I would like to personally thank Simon Wood and Oliver Harvey for supplying and donating great prizes for our chefs quiz, which added a further element of interest for the participants.”

The first week of events, kicked-off by Principal Lisa O’Loughlin on Monday 6 July, introduced students to the college’s brand new Industry Excellence Academy and Centres of Excellence, as well as the Careers and Welfare, and Transition teams.

Students were also advised on how to make an application and how to enrol, while Deputy Principal Rachel Curry explained how they’ll be keeping colleagues and students safe on campus when they return in September.

Week two was all about individual curriculum areas. Students met their new Tutors and were given a taster session of their chosen subject areas. They also heard more about our array of industry partners, finding out how they shape the curriculum, offer work experience opportunities and help prepare students for industry.

Masterchef UK winner and patron of The Chefs’ Forum Academy, Simon Wood, hosted the Hospitality and Catering event. Simon said:
“This was such an important virtual event to promote the hospitality industry to the next generation of chefs and hospitality professionals in these strange times when we can’t hold traditional open days due to COVID-19. As patron of The Chefs’ Forum Academy at The Manchester College, it was a pleasure to take part in the Couch to College session and talk about my career as a chef, winning MasterChef and giving advice to those considering becoming a chef or front of house professional. Both aspects create the dining experience and I feel the session communicated this very well indeed.”

The third and final week of Couch to College focused on the student experience, with sessions on how to enrol, becoming work ready and our fantastic Duke of Edinburgh opportunities.

Students also met our experienced Employability team, who provided top tips on using social media to find a career that suits them and boost their prospects.

Deputy Principal, Rachel Curry, said:
“Thank you to everybody who has contributed to Couch to College and made it such a success. Our colleagues have worked tirelessly to deliver their presentations, showcasing all our subject areas and fantastic facilities, so it was great to see so many students take part. We hope you have got a feel for College life and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to College safely in September.”

The Manchester College is one of six UK colleges where The Chefs’ Forum operate The Chefs’ Forum Academy. The project sees top chefs and hospitality experts come into the college on a weekly basis to deliver guest lectures and practical cookery sessions to enrich the curriculum.

Chef of the Week: Ales Maurer – Head Chef at The Lygon Arms in The Cotswolds

How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
I joined The Lygon Arms seven years ago, first as a Sous Chef and after three years I was promoted to the role of Head Chef.

Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
I use to help my grandmother who was a cook in local school. Although she only had access to limited ingredients, her meals were always amazing. I trained in one of the best restaurants in Prague and was fortunate to do work experiences with some very good chefs. I enjoy exploring new recipes and being inspired by the people I work with.

What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
The buzz and excitement of a busy kitchen, the feeling on a Saturday night service when every guest leaves happy, the team work and banter which is needed in every work place and seeing young chefs progress. Most importantly, our job is never the same with seasons changing and the wide variety of quality local produce that has becomes available to use. I enjoy talking to local suppliers about new products each seasons and always look forward to writing the next menu.

Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Salt, water and quality olive oil.

What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
Back to basics done very well. Root to shoot style of cooking, farm to the table and the story behind each ingredient.

What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
New chefs need to be prepared to learn from the team around, listen and observe. Younger chefs often attempt to run before they can walk. I believe we need to be open minded, adapt and listen to our guests as they are our biggest influence.

What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
Spring and autumn are the two seasons which leads to exciting changes on the menu, and when new seasonal ingredients become available. During spring we can enjoy asparagus, purple sprouting broccoli, Jersey royals, radishes and watercress, and spring lamb. Autumn is great for all the squashes, runner beans, apples and wild mushrooms, game birds and venison!

Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
Puy lentil Scotch egg, slow cooked octopus, pheasant Wellington and the many desserts which we have prepared throughout the years. Dishes which are inspired by discussions with my chefs and tastings with my team.

How do you come up with new dishes?
Every new dish starts with discussing new ideas with my best chefs, and then recreating them in the kitchen. Tasting sessions follow with my managers and when we collectively agree with the outcome of the dish, it becomes part of the menu. I enjoy getting everyone involved and making them proud of having an input. It’s a team effort.

Who was your greatest influence?
As a young chef, I worked with a butcher in Kampa Park who was 72 years old, and who managed to do all the butchery for the whole place. I admired the energy he put into everything. When I moved to England 16 years ago, my inspiration became Gary Rhodes, I loved his cooking style. As of late I am inspired by observing the experience and talents of the people around me, within our company, and I continue to learn a lot from them.

Tell us three chefs you admire.

My wife Jo – great pastry chef
Tom Kerridge – for his food and what he has achieved
Clare Smyth – amazing drive and passion

What is your favourite cookbook?
I have few:

Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes
The River Cottage Fish Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Paul Hollywood’s 100 Great Breads

Who do you think are the chefs to watch over the next few months?
With hotels, restaurants and pubs just reopening after Covid-19 closure, I encourage everyone to visit their local eateries and explore the local talent within their communities. We need to support our local restaurants more than ever and I am sure that the good places will became even better.

What’s been your favourite new restaurant opening of the last year?
GL50 in Cheltenham and Tom Kerridge’s The Bull & Bear.

www.lygonarmshotel.co.uk

Hotel & Marine Expert Summit by Rational

The Digital Industry Highlight

On 26 August, 2020, opinion leaders from the F&B industry will meet for the first digital Expert Summit, initiated by Rational, titled “The New Hospitality”. Key discussion topics include innovation, digitalization and sustainability. There will be a wide range of international specialists sharing their knowledge and giving insights into future opportunities; followed by discussions and questions in a virtual forum. In addition, participants will be able to conduct peer-to-peer dialogues and make appointments.

“Unusual times require unusual activities”, is how Nicolas Makowski, Senior Director International Key Account Management at Rational, explains the event concept. The conference will be conducted on a digital platform and similar to that of a traditional trade fair will accommodate presentations, product demonstrations, exchange and networking. “We are holding the event at two different times, giving customers from all regions of the world the opportunity to participate. The advantage of the digital summit is that we have no restrictions and worldwide participation is possible,” says Makowski.

To avoid conflicts due to the time difference, the Expert Summit will take place in two different time windows, each lasting approximately three hours. The separate events will, however, consist of the same content and have the same speakers. Interested parties are invited to register free of charge HERE

iKitchen by Rational – The System Solution for Business and Industry Catering

Shortage of skilled staff, cost pressure and digitalisation, these are the challenges operators within business and industry catering have to face. Added to this are the increased demands of their guests with regard to quality, dietary and special food requirements such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten or lactose-free as well as a varied range of products. In addition to good ideas and clever concepts, the kitchens needs a partner who knows the challenges, supports them technically and enables them to produce large quantities. Rational has created such support with iKitchen.

“Under the name iKitchen, we have combined the iCombi Pro, iVario Pro and ConnectedCooking to form a system solution,” says Simon Lohse, Managing Director, RATIONAL UK, explaining the features. The aim is to make work easier, especially in large kitchens with a volume of 500 meals per day or more, to streamline processes and save space, money, energy and raw materials. If you take a kitchen originally equipped with a boiler, deep fat fryer, pressure cooker, hot-air oven and cooker, you can replace all the appliances except the cooker with an iCombi Pro and iVario Pro while achieving space savings of up to 40%. At the same time, the cooking systems together cover 95% of all conventional cooking applications. For some applications such as cooking pasta or preparing food using the sous-vide method, they can even take over tasks from each other, thus considerably increasing the flexibility of a commercial kitchen. As a rule, cooking is also healthier. As Lohse says: “With the iCombi Pro, for example, you can deep-fry without fat. This means that the fries are crispy but have considerably less fat. In addition, steaming in the iCombi Pro preserves the vitamins and nutrients”.

The fact that both cooking systems are made for cooperation is also shown by the identically designed user interfaces, which guide the user through the menus according to the same principle. Both also have intelligent functions that make handling even easier and thus significantly reduce the error rate. Even semi-skilled workers have easy access to various cooking applications. The fact that iKitchen makes optimum use of all resources is demonstrated, for example, by overnight cooking. The iCombi Pro and iVario Pro both feature this application which will save a great deal of production time and take a lot of pressure off the kitchen operations.

The third component, ConnectedCooking, also serves to increase productivity, as the cloud-based networking solution can be used to centrally manage and transfer cooking programs, HACCP data can be saved and retrieved by both cooking systems, and they can even be controlled remotely. ConnectedCooking reduces the error rate and ensures a constant standard in food production. Only the loading and unloading has to be done manually. Lohse concludes, “With iKitchen, business and industry kitchens can work even more successfully than before and respond flexibly to their challenges.”

Chef of the Week: Aidan King, Pastry Chef at Hartnoll Hotel in Devon

How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
I started as Pastry Chef at the Hartnoll Hotel just before lockdown so still finding my ropes there. Previously I was a Senior Chef de Partie at the Jack in the Green for 5 years.

Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
My passion for food is something I have always had, ever since making flapjacks in GCSE cooking class. I went to Tiverton Catering College and gained industry experience working at Jack in the Green, and from doing events such as South West Chef of the Year and Exeter Food Festival.

What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
I enjoy the sense of achievement when you receive great produce, locally sourced of course, and turn it into stunning food that people come and pay and enjoy for. There are hard times in this business but working as a team with the kitchen and front of house, it is all worth it in the end.

Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Chocolate, seasoning and butter.

Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
That’s a hard one because there is so many pieces of equipment that we all use all the time and take for granted. But probably the Rational oven or Thermomix, they are just so versatile and really help with making great quality and consistent products.

What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
It’s hard to say and spot food trends at the moment as we have just come out of lockdown and everyone is just trying to re-open and keep business, but BBQ cooking, with the likes of Marcus Bawdon leading the BBQ chef front, you only have to watch Great British Menu or go on Instagram and a lot of chefs now cooking or finishing dishes on BBQ.

What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
Wanting to be the “on tv celebrity” chef. Cooking is just about passion and making people happy. Half the greatest chefs don’t appear on morning tv etc. But people get into cooking because they want to be famous, that is not this business. It is about cooking good food, enjoy doing it and enjoy making people happy.

What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
Game season. Living and working on the edge of Exmoor we have some brilliant game and that’s why this has got to be my favourite time of year.

Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
I’m proud of everything I produce. If I had to pick one dish it would be my cod dish from South West Chef of the Year. But I love my job so am proud of all the work I put out.

How do you come up with new dishes?
I start by sitting down with my Head Chef Paul. We go through what’s in season and available locally. I like to go through various chef cookbooks for inspiration, then adapt and change to suit us and our business.

Who was your greatest influence?
My greatest influence has got to be Tom Kerridge. The work he has done in this industry and to reach the milestones he has is incredible. But as I’ve got further in my chef career, it’s been more about local chefs rather than “celebrity chefs”, I look up to chefs now like Tim Kendall, Niall Keating, Guy Owen, Damien Wager and many more.

Tell us three chefs you admire
Tim Kelland, Damien Wager and Scott Paton.

What is your favourite cookbook?
Salt by Paul Foster, the look and feel of the book and such great content with easy to follow recipes – I have a lot of cookbooks!

Who do you think are the chefs to watch over the next few months?
James Checkley, now at Paschoe House is going be making a move on the scene. And any of the chefs in South West Chef of the Year, in the Young Professional and Junior categories.

What’s been your favourite new restaurant opening of the last year?
William Curley’s new restaurant in London, Smiths Court. Brilliant concept and place. And that’s why I’m also looking forward to the opening of Damien Wager Edible Arts at the start of August.

www.hartnollhotel.co.uk

Chef of the Week: Rob Howell – Head Chef at Root in Bristol

How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
I have been at Root since we opened in August 2017.

Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
I feel like both my passion and skills were learnt along the way in my career, feeding of all the amazing chefs I have had the opportunity to work alongside day to day.

What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
The chance to work with people that are very like minded and the fact you can just keep learning how to cook every day no matter how long you’ve been doing it.

Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
First press rapeseed oil, sherry vinegar and Henderson’s relish.

Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
A good old spatula!

What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
Its a pretty uncertain time right now but I feel like we will see some big changes in the industry and all for the good I hope.

What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
Not asking for help.

What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
Every season has its perks but its got to be late spring heading into summer, that’s when there is produce everywhere, you really don’t have to do much to it.

Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
I wouldn’t say I have a favourite as such, I am proud to be serving a vegetable lead menu at Root. Its great to have a team that cares like I do and have amazing ideas of their own.

How do you come up with new dishes?
Often it will start with a favour combination or ingredient and then we go for there, it can be from something eaten, or seen or just an idea. Usually involves a lot of back and forth with the team.

Who was your greatest influence?
I feel like all the chefs I have worked with have made an impact on my ideas and cooking but it would have to be Josh Eggleton as I did work with/for him for over 8 years now.

Tell us three chefs you admire.
Too many but love seeing people make positive changes to the world with food and having a good time along the way.

Tom Adams
Ravinder Bhogal
Jon Gray

What is your favourite cookbook?
My most read/used has got to be Nathan Outlaws, any of them. Not only full of simple, delicious, clever food but a great amount of knowledge on fish and produce.

Who do you think are the chefs to watch over the next few months?
He’s already made himself known and some how seems to be getting better and better and that is John Chanterasak aka Anglothai. His food is like nothing I have tasted or experienced before and it needs to be known about.

What’s been your favourite new restaurant opening of the last year?
Osip has got to be my favourite recent opening, I’m lucky enough to live not too far from it in Somerset and it is a real pleasure to have Merlin so close, cooking some truly outstanding food.

www.rootbristol.co.uk

Scottish Salmon: What Chefs Need to Know!

Scottish salmon is farmed in the cool, clear waters off Scotland’s west coast and islands. It’s grown to world-leading animal health and welfare standards with all farmers adhering to a 500 point Code of Good Practice. All farmers are either part of the RSPCA Assured scheme or hold a similar international accreditation such as BAP or ASC. It means that when you buy Scottish salmon you can be assured that the fish have been grown with the upmost care, and to the highest quality.

You’re also buying the freshest local produce, with Scottish salmon harvested in the remote Highlands often able to go from pen to plate in just 24 hours. Along with high quality feed sourced from sustainable resources and one of the highest feed in food out ratios, it means Scottish salmon has one of livestock farming’s lowest carbon footprints – good for you, good for your diners and good for the planet.

Nurtured in freshwater hatcheries for the first year before being moved into remote sea lochs and off island coasts, Scottish salmon spend another year to 18 months being reared at sea – creating a versatile product rich in essential Omega-3, full of nutrients including Vitamin D and packed with high quality protein.

All Scottish salmon farmers pursue a prevention over cure strategy, limiting the need for medicines or the use of chemicals. It means Scottish farmed salmon is unique among UK animal proteins in not carrying any trace of medicines in its flesh when harvested and is safe to eat raw, unlike wild salmon. These characteristics along with its firm flesh and delicately balanced flavour make Scottish salmon the fish of choice for leading sushi chefs across the world.

From humble beginnings just 50 years ago farmed Scottish salmon has become not only the UK’s number one food export but has also been voted the world’s best salmon and regularly tops international taste tests.

If you want to see for yourselves how Scottish salmon is grown then get in touch with the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation and we’ll look forward to welcoming you to Scotland’s Highlands and Islands.

The Chefs’ Forum has joined forces with the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation to offer you the chance to win a luxurious hamper of the finest Scottish fresh and smoked salmon products, plus a unique, all expenses paid trip to the beautiful Scottish Highlands!

You will spend the day with one of their members and immerse yourself in the incredible environment in which they farm. Experience the trip of a lifetime and see for yourself the exceptional care and welfare standards to which the fish are raised.

Click HERE to complete our brief survey and enter this fantastic competition!

Terms and Conditions:

The promoter is Red Cherry (Bristol) Ltd t/a The Chefs’ Forum.
The competition is open to residents of the United Kingdom aged 18 years or over except employees of Red Cherry (Bristol) Ltd and their close relatives and anyone otherwise connected with the organisation or judging of the competition.
There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition.
By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
Route to entry for the competition and details of how to enter are via Mailchimp, Facebook, Twitter and www.thechefsforum.co.uk
Only one entry will be accepted per person. Multiple entries from the same person will be disqualified.
Closing date for entry will be Friday 14th August 2020. After this date the no further entries to the competition will be permitted.
No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.
The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.
The promoter is not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied to any entrant by any third party connected with this competition.The prize is as follows: a luxurious hamper of the finest Scottish fresh and smoked salmon products, plus a unique, all expenses paid trip to the beautiful Scottish Highlands for two people.
The prize is as stated and no cash or other alternatives will be offered. The prize is not transferable. The Prize is subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.
Winners will be chosen at random by the Promoter.
The winner will be notified by telephone and/or email and/or DM on Twitter/Facebook and/or letter within 28 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or do not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.
The promoter will notify the winner when and where the prize can be collected/is delivered.
The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by English law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England.
The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material, as well as their entry. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current UK data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.
The winner’s name will be available 28 days after closing date by emailing the following address: catherine@redcherry.uk.com
Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Network. You are providing your information to Red Cherry (Bristol) Ltd and not to any other party.

WIN the Ultimate Chef Hamper Worth £800 to Celebrate the Launch of our New Website!

We’re very proud to be launching our new website after months and months of work to make it the best possible platform for all things hospitality & catering!

Simply browse our site to answer twelve questions (with helpful clues provided) to be in with a chance of winning an amazing hamper, packed full of wonderful prizes from our partners, sponsors and suppliers, including:

25cl bottle of Sea Arch
Richkins mini big boy board made from Welsh beech wood with engraving of the winner’s name or logo, and a cherry wood with resin serving board with engraved logo or name.
Foie Royale 1 x 80g goose and 1 x 80g duck
Celltd 125g bag of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee beans
Chef Works Brio chef apron in a choice of 5 colours
Santa Maria herb and spice box
Nutcellars 140g jar of whole macadamia, 170g jar of crunchy nut butter and a 220g jar of smooth nut butter
Dinner for two with complements from Adande at BRAT, Tomos Parry summer residency at Hackney’s Climpson’s Arch, in association with Super 8 Restaurants.
Welsh Fine Food Cluster hamper – a selection of the finest Welsh produce from gin to cheese
A magnum of Champagne, with complements from Meiko
F.Dick Chefs’ Knife in a presentation box, with complements from Rational
A whole Scottish salmon, with complements from the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation

Don’t delay, CLICK HERE to enter today! (closing date: Sunday 9th August)

Ultimate Chef Hamper Ultimate Chef Hamper Nutcellars Ultimate Chef Hamper Climpson's Arch

We believe that this website will be your ‘one-stop-shop’ for the latest industry news, job vacancies, menu trends, outstanding produce, market-leading equipment and college connectivity.

Terms & Conditions

The promoter is Red Cherry (Bristol) Ltd t/a The Chefs’ Forum.

The competition is open to hospitality professionals in the United Kingdom aged 18 years or over except employees of Red Cherry (Bristol) Ltd and their close relatives and anyone otherwise connected with the organisation or judging of the competition.

There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition.

By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.

Route to entry for the competition and details of how to enter are via www.thechefsforum.co.uk and on social media.

Only one entry will be accepted per person. Multiple entries from the same person will be disqualified.

Closing date for entry will be Sunday 9th August 2020. After this date the no further entries to the competition will be permitted.

No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.

The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.

The promoter is not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied to any entrant by any third party connected with this competition. The prize is as follows: The Ultimate Chef Hamper.

The prize is as stated, and no cash or other alternatives will be offered. The prize is not transferable. The Prize is subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.

Winners will be chosen at random by the Promoter.

The winner will be notified by telephone and/or email and/or DM on Twitter/Facebook and/or letter within 28 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or do not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.

The promoter will notify the winner when and where the prize can be collected/is delivered.

The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by English law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England.

The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material, as well as their entry. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current UK data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.

The winner’s name will be available 28 days after closing date by emailing the following address: catherine@redcherry.uk.com

Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Network. You are providing your information to Red Cherry (Bristol) Ltd and not to any other party.

Robot Coupe UK is Now Offering a Personalised HD Video Service

Robot Coupe UK is now offering a new additional service alongside its market leading onsite demos. The need for instant service is now more important than ever. A service to not only find a solution for the customer more quickly than ever before, but also a service to exceed expectations.

This is why we have been working behind the scenes for many months, to fine tune and bring our new Personalised HD Video Service to life.

Having a top of the range camera with 10 x zoom, and market leading speaker system, we can allow you, and your customer to get up close to the equipment and produce, from any location of your choice.

All personalised meetings are just that. Before we make an appointment, one of our Solution Managers and Development Chefs will talk through what is needed, followed by a simple online form, so the customer can easily upload images of the desired product they are trying to achieve. We will then ensure the produce is on site, ready for the non rushed meeting, and try all options available till we reach the best solution.

Here’s what some of our clients said about the service:

“A big thank you to Jamie for assisting us and pleased to say I’ve bought the Robotcoupe ultra and couldn’t be happier with the service and product. Highly recommend to every busy commercial kitchen.”

“The quality of the video call was excellent, as a participant I could see everything that was being described perfectly. Overall an excellent session.”

To enquire further or to book an appointment, please contact Robot Coupe on 0208 8232 1800.

Roux Scholarship Competition Postponed Until 2021

After the 2020 Roux Scholarship was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Roux Family have decided to postpone the competition until March 2021.

The 18 regional finalists, as well as the first reserve, selected at the paper judging stage in March 2020 will automatically qualify as regional finalists for 2021 and cook their recipes for hake, palourde clams and leeks in the regional cook-offs at University College Birmingham and at the University of West London on 4^th March 2021. The judges will be Michel Roux Jr, Alain Roux, Brian Turner, Clare Smyth, Angela Hartnett, Rachel Humphrey, James Martin, Sat Bains (1999 Scholar), André Garrett (2002 Scholar) and Simon Hulstone (2003 Scholar). The six most successful chefs will be selected to compete in the national final on 29^th March 2021, when Honorary President of Judges Björn Frantzén, from three-star Michelin Restaurant Frantzén in Stockholm, will lead the panel of judges. There will be no application process in 2021.

Chairman Alain Roux said: “Having to close down the competition this year, as well as our restaurants, has dealt a double blow. But optimism and resilience define our industry and the same is true of the Scholarship. We’ve set dates to reconvene next spring and so the excitement continues! We cannot wait to find our 2020/2021 Scholar. Meanwhile, I would like to thank all our fantastic competitors, judges, sponsors and supporters for their patience and support. Keep safe and see you soon!”

Co-chairman Michel Roux Jr said: “Everyone in hospitality is working furiously towards reopening and in many cases to keep afloat. It’s only right that the scholarship is postponed to 2021, when hopefully we will all be in a much better place to complete the competition and celebrate together as family and friends.”

To recap, the regional finalists are:

Competing in Birmingham