Seasoning, Searing and Shooting at Cowley Manor
Chefs from Bath and the Cotswolds showed off their shooting skills, as well as their cooking skills at the latest meeting of The Chefs’ Forum yesterday (June 4th).
Guests at the event, which was held at the beautiful Cowley Manor hotel near Cheltenham, had the chance to try their hand laser clay pigeon shooting, alongside a day of lamb butchery, expert cookery demonstrations, seasoning and grilling master classes.
The event began with a Symphoniae Prosecco, curtesy of Crown Cellars and canapé reception, with the canapés prepared by David Kelman, Executive chef at Cowley Manor, and students from Gloucester College where The Chefs’ Forum has successfully run The Chefs’ Forum Academy for the last two years. During the reception chefs also had the chance to network with top suppliers and sponsors.
David said: “Thanks to the students for all their help, and thanks also to the sponsors and all those who supplied the ingre
dients.”
Mark Hyde-Catton, Chef Lecturer and Chefs Forum Academy Coordinator spoke about how The Chefs’ Forum events and Academy sessions benefit the students.
He said: “I just think that The Chefs’ Forum events are great for our young people.
“It is great for them to get out and get as much experience as possible.
“David has visited us at the college to take Chefs’ Forum Academy sessions and the students really enjoyed them.
“I have an excellent relationship with David and all the Academy chefs. I think it’s really important to have a relationship with all head chefs because I am passionate about getting our young people out into industry and into the right jobs and making sure they are happy and they will stay.”
Following the reception guests were treated to a cooking demonstration by David. David cooked a canon of lamb with seasonal vegetables in a very jovial demonstration of The Butcher and The Chef. Karl Pendlebury of AHDB Beef & Lamb took the floor and told the chefs about his free meat education courses – click here.
There was then a chance to sample more of David’s brilliant cooking in a wine and food pairing to various wines by Crown Cel
lars.
The event finished with the chance to try Laser Clay Shooting in the stunning grounds of Cowley Manor.
Founder of The Chefs’ Fo
rum Catherine Farinha said: “Thank you to all our sponsors who came along, including Walter Rose & Son, Santa Maria, Creed Foodservice, TTW Associates, Crown Cellars, Synergy Grill, Welbilt UK. The support of these top-quality suppliers enables our events to happen, inspiring young people and creating a valuable networking platform for top chefs from which to socialise, share knowledge and best practice.”
Any chefs or suppliers looking to work with The Chefs’ Forum going forward should contact alexandra@redcherry.uk.com
Dorset Chefs Enjoyed a ‘BBQ Paradise’ at Living Outside!
BBQ paradise, Living Outside was the venue for yesterday’s Great Dorset Grill-off staged by The Chefs’ Forum. The Wimborne-based company hosted The Chefs’ Forum in its sunny showyard, which lent itself as the perfect set-up for the cheffy convention on Monday (21) May 2018.
Award-winning chef Mark Hartstone of La Fosse at Cranborne welcomed catering students from Basingstoke College into one of the purpose-built chalets to prepare a delicious selection of meaty canapés for the chefs and hospitality professionals arriving at midday.
The students got stuck into prepping and cooking cedar plank grilled veget
ables with Dorset Sea Salt, chicken kebabs with Santa Maria Lemon Curry and American Cajun rubs, pancetta-wrapped asparagus and seared loin of venison.
Lithuanian BBQ aficionado, champion chef and author, Kris Krivickas showcased the Kamado Bono in cooking the most delicious, sumptuous BBQ pork ribs that cooked low and slow in the ovoid ceramic grill for a fabulous six hours!
Convotherm demo chef Keith Howland showcased the Garland Induction Plancha which added another dimension to grilling using induction technology.
Living Outside Director, Ian Poate said:
“Today’s been a real success from our point of view. It was great to see so many chefs and students take such an interest in our custom-built barbequ
e huts and accessories. Mark gave a great demo and we are honoured to have him as a brand ambassador, saying great things about the hut that he has at La Fosse, Cranborne.”
Partner Director Charlie Cox added:
“We certainly had the weather for it today, I’ve had some great conversations with the visiting chefs and have greatly enjoyed the demos and the cooking! We are proud to sponsor The Chefs’ Forum and find it a great tool for communicating with buyers and end users in the hospitality industry.”
Living outside prides itself on creating bespoke outdoor cooking and dining spaces and Mark perfectly-baked International kidney potatoes in Dorset sea salt in the ‘Barbeque Hut’ which would be the perfect winter hideaway with fur throws and a very cosy feel!
Award-winning catering butcher, Walter Rose & Son showcased its fabulous meat in providing the meat for the event. Director Jack Cook then performed a brilliant lamb butchery demonstration where he effortlessly showed the chefs how to cut and roll a stuffed breast or belly of lamb as well as French-trimming some lamb cutlets. The chefs were extremely impressed with the quality of Walter Rose meat and even more delighted that they have deliveries into Dorset every day with no minimum order constraints.
The blazing-hot sun meant that Mark Hartstone’s demo of marinated pineapple with birch sap syrup took place outside. Dressed in his chef whites with a Dorset-centric hat, Mark expertly demonstrated the versatility of the pineapple and explained to the chefs that they could make five or six portions out of the one fruit making for great margins!
Synergy Grill demo chef Claire Mansfield went tong to tong with Alex Healy-Wallis on the wood-fuelled Quan. Claire perfectly seared a loin of venison and cooked off the chicken kebabs m
ade by Mark and the students. Alex grilled Jack Cook’s lamb cutlets on the Quan Barbeque Heater. Claire explained the energy-saving benefits of the Synergy Grill as well as low user cost. Alex stressed the importance of using good quality wood in the Quan for optimum results. The chefs devoured all delights cooked by both and there was a great deal of interest in both products. Claire Mansfield booked demos with the visiting chefs to bring the Synergy Grill to their kitchens in order for chefs to experiment with it using their own menus in their own surroundings.
Other highlights of the day included a seasoning masterclass with Jethro Tennant of Dorset Sea Salt and Spice Queen, Katlin Ambos of Santa Maria. Santa Maria also brought along its legendary Spice Truck to give the visiting chefs a chance to see the full range of market-leading herbs and spices as well as reiterating the importance of knowing the provenance of where the spices are coming from
The Chefs’ Forum continues to hold four events a year in Dorset & Hampshire and would love to hear from chefs or suppliers wanting to get involved. For more information, please contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com
Photo credit: www.fayditphotography.com
Kent Chefs do Butchery, Spice and Grills at Westenhanger Castle!
Top chefs from across Kent came together to enjoy an afternoon of cookery demonstrations, butchery, networking and Clayzer at the latest meeting of The Chefs’ Forum on Monday (May 14). The event was blessed with glorious sunshine in the grounds of the beautiful Westenhanger Castle.
Held in the marquee in the impressive and versatile events venue near Ashford, The Chefs’ Forum’s spring event gave the county’s culinary talent the chance to network in a peaceful rural location and meet leading suppliers whilst giving learners from East Kent College the opportunity to work in a professional kitchen with renowned Aussie chef Graham Green.
The Santa Maria Spice Truck and ‘Spice Aficionado’ Sam Guarino soon breached the peace and turned-up the tunes as the chefs arrived to a soundtrack the best beats available, giving the event a real party atmosphere on the chefs’ day off!
The visiting chefs were treated to a delicious canapé and beer reception where Graham showcased produce from Chefs’ Forum Sponsors Walter Rose & Sons and Santa Maria in mouth-watering canapés.
Graham plumped for a traditional canapé and demo theme, the impressive canapé list comprised:
Noodle-wrapped prawns, mushroom arancini, pork chipotle croquettes, skate tartlet with lemon butter and snail vol-au-vents with garlic butter and toasted hazelnuts.
Chefs’ Forum Founder, Catherine Farinha and East Kent College Lecturer Rob Allsworth welcomed the chefs to the event as they took their seats in anticipation for the cookery and butchery showcase awaiting them on The Chefs’ Forum demo stage. Rob explained that Chefs’ Forum events are a great opportunity for students to enrich their learning and catch up with local employers, many of whom already work with the college.
Graham took to The Chefs’ Forum demo stage to showcase beautiful Creedy Carver duck leg supplied by leading catering butcher, Walter Rose & Son. Graham then stuffed the boned-out duck leg with red wine poached pear. The Convotherm mini cooked the duck to perfection, then it w
as time for Graham to plat- up: A smear of celeriac and cauliflower puree, duck liver pâté, red wine sauce and a duck skin shard were then added to the plate to create a mouth-wateringly delicious dish.
Graham’s deliciously unctuous demo was followed by a presentation on Wiltshire beef butchery by Jack Cook of Walter Rose & Sons showing how to cut different steaks from the rib to the rump of the Stokes Marsh Farm Hereford/Angus cross heifer – Probably the best-
tasting beef available in the UK and the product of a forty-year relationship between butcher and chef.
Two huge, freshly-butchered cote de boeuf steaks, complete with rib bone then made their way onto the Synergy Grill where Claire Mansfield showcased the versatility of the award-winning British Grill. The chefs then enjo
yed a well-deserved beer and meat and grilled veg (in honour of National Vegetarian Week) BBQ on their day off!
Well-known Kentish caterer Graham Green came to Kent to retire in 2008. His plan to do a ‘bit of relief cheffing’ didn’t really work out and he ended up joining forces with the team from Chives Catering.
Chives catering is long-term family business cares about what it does, commercial events, high-end car launches, family occasions, weddings, themed events and bespoke catering solutions.
Graham said: “It was a pleasure to have these young people from East Kent College’s Yarrow Hotel working in my kitchen, all of whom showed great potential. The food that they produced was excellent and I am proud to say that they made it with me in my kitchen.”
The event ended by giving guests the chance to show off their shooting skills by taking part in a game of Clazer shooting with a prize awarded to the chef with highest number of points.
Catherine Farinha said: “It is great to hear such a great deal of positive feedback on the work of the East Kent College students here at Westenhanger Castle. The Chefs’ Forum is all about giving opportunities to the next generation of chefs and front of house professionals; I think everyone would agree that today was a great opportunity for them. Highlights of today were the comedy beef butchery from Walter Rose, an extremely interesting presentation on Santa Maria herbs and spices by Sam and the fabulous BBQ on the Synergy Grill by expert demo chef Claire Mansfield – It’s great to introduce professional chefs to top suppliers and showcase advanced culinary and butchery skills from the very best in the business. I would like to thank everyone for coming today, and especially our sponsors without whom these events would not be possible.”
Photography by: www.kentfoodphotographer.com
WELSH CHEFS GO FORAGING AT THE CASTLE!
Foraging has been popular for some years now, and professional chefs’ enthusiasm for gathering food from wild and natural places is only increasing. On Monday 30th April, forty top chefs from across Wales flocked to a fascinating forage led by wild food expert David Harrison.
The beautifully manicured grounds of Grade 1 listed Hensol Castle was the perfect setting for the wild food hunt. Headline sponsor Cardiff Audi set a stunning car display of a Q3 and Q5, the perfect all-rounder for country life. Having just last Wednesday worked with Cardiff Audi to stage a brilliant customer event showcasing Welsh chefs and Welsh food, it was great to invite the Audi brand experience team to the cheffy convention to showcase the excellence in service and product exuded in the guest experience at Hensol Castle and The Vale Resort.
It was the perfect weather for the chefs to embark upon on a flora and fauna adventure in glorious spring sunshine. Harrison is Michelin-starred chef Simon Hulstone’s personal forager and sources wild ingredients exclusively for Simon and his small team of talented chefs at The Elephant, Torquay.
Today’s event was hosted by The Vale Resort Executive Chef Dean Milburn. Dean has been a Chefs’ Forum member for the last six years, most recently at Bristol University before venturing across the bridge to take on this fantastic role catering for the golfing glitterati and a huge 180 weddings a year at one of the biggest golfing resorts in the UK set on 650 acres.
The gastronomic gathering commenced with a canapé and fizz or Clifton Coffee reception where Dean and his team prepared a stunning array of bite-sized morsels for the culinary guests. Dean showcased the finest Welsh ingredients in Perl Las mouse mini cones with a charcoal biscuit flake and pressed pickled cucumber with brown crab mayo. Dean also created three versions of mini Walter Rose chicken thigh skewers to be cooked on the Synergy Grill, marinated in Santa Maria wasabi and sesame, lemon curry and BBQ pulled pork rub.
Demo chef Claire Mansfield joined forces with Jack Cook of Walter Rose & Son to showcase the award-winning Synergy Grill, searing top quality Wiltshire meat to perfection. Dean Milburn also charred his mini vegetables in preparation for his cookery demo on the Vegetarian Society Approved energy-saving grill. A double draw Adande refrigerated drawer unit completed the perfect BBQ terrace equipment solution as the top drawer was used as a fridge to store Walter Rose meat and its counter top, complete with a red board made a great surface for the butchery demo. Jack then showcased his lamb butchery skills with Claire cooking the various c
uts of the best end of Wiltshire lamb including the pencil fillet, rack of lamb, stuffed breast and chops.
Dean then showcased two of his signature dishes: Cherry cola glazed pork fillet and Chermoula-rubbed lamb cannon. The visiting chefs quickly devoured the delicious plates of food and all said that they would be back to try his cooking in The Grill restaurant at The Vale resort.
Dean said:
“I don’t like to take away from the main ingredient in my cooking, in this case, stunning Wiltshire lamb cannon and beautiful pork fillet, both sup
plied by Walter Rose & Son. Instead of trying to overcomplicate the dishes, I try to accentuate the flavours of the meat. It’s great having all the chefs visit today and it was lovely to be able to showcase the venue – I look forward to hosting the next one!”
The culinary experts went on a tour of Hensol Castle’s stunning grounds, learning to find and identify the abundance of edible plants, seeds, nuts, flowers and fungi that grow wild in the beautiful Cotswolds countryside. They learnt that provided you are furnished with a permission from the land owner, the only real cost of foraging is time, a valuable resource for chefs. Most foraged produce is perishable and requires picking for service daily or every other day.
Forager David Harrison told chefs:
“Once you pick something, it immediately starts to lose its peak flavour and texture. We do not store anything for that reason; we forage every day. It’s great to see so many Welsh chefs in attendance, we found lots of species today including hogweed, water mint, cleavers, hedge mustard, lesser celandine, bittercress, nettles, cuckoo flower, hemlock water dropwort, coltsfoot, bug violets and beech leaves. I hope that foraging with the chefs today spikes and interest in foraging and encourages them to bring t
his old skill back into the kitchen”
The event was a great chance for chefs to learn about foraging for their menus and the copious amount of amazing wild ingredients growing all around them.
Catherine Farinha, Chefs’ Forum Founder and event organiser concluded:
“Hensol Castle was the perfect venue to hold an unusual and absorbing day of butchery grilling and foraging. It is great to see that the chefs are so keen on foraging and trying new cooking techniques with wild ingredients. Chefs’ Forum events provide a great opportunity for them all to meet up, touch base and share expertise and see the best products and produce available to them.”
Photography by www.fayditphotography.com
Top London Chefs Inspire Next Generation of Talent at West London’s College!
On Monday (23) April, six of London’s most highly-skilled chefs helped 40 young people serve up a mouth-watering meal for 70 extremely discerning diners in one of London’s leading catering colleges. Nearly £900 was raised to support young people with travel costs in accessing work experience, essential equipment and helping colleges to fund employer trips and visits.
West London’s College opened its teaching kitchens to the cream of the culinary profession on Monday to host a fundraising lunch for The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation CIC – An organisation incorporated by Catherine Farinha and Alexandra Duncan in October 2016 to raise vital funds to help disadvantaged young people to enter the hospitality business, by linking them up with employers and providing essential support and equipment.
Celebrity and renowned chefs who have worked with the award-winning college include Brian Turner who opened The Taste restaurant, Jamie Oliver when he launched the first cohort of Fifteen learners and Gordon Ramsay in filming the first series of Hell’s Kitchen at the college.
The Chefs’ Forum bridges the gap between industry and education and by hosting it for the second time, West London’s College underlined its commitment to the initiative in inspiring young chefs, enriching their learning and forging strong links with leading employers within the industry.
Head of Hospitality Denise Charles stated
“We are delighted to be hosting our second Chefs’ Forum event at the college. Our partnership with the organisation has seen many of our students securing work experience and jobs on the back of showcasing their skills at quarterly events. The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation has agreed to fund a trip for our students to compete in Young Seafood Chef of The Year – This funding is a great help and its wonderful to see industry people supporting lunches like this to facilitate the raising of vital funds to enrich our students’ learning experience.”
Guiding the students from West London’s College on the day were Carlos Martinez and Stefano Cilia from Chucs (Harrods) on the starter. Carlos and Stefano arrived at the college early to create slow cooked pork belly, Granny Smith & lime texture, sweet & sour mustard seeds, salt & caramel hazelnut and gooseberries.
Daniele Codini from The Ned prepared a stunning fish course of Turbot with hazelnut crumb, asparagus, fregola and clams.
AHDB British beef and lamb ambassador Chris Wheeler (Stoke Park) prepared the meat course. The 23rd April marks the beginning of British Beef Week and Karl Pendlebury (AHDB Senior Manager Quality Schemes) attended to fly the flag for English Beef, this time from Stokes Marsh Farm (Wiltshire) supplied by Quality Standard Mark (QSM) Member Walter Rose & Sons.
Karl said
“British Beef Week is a huge event in the culinary calendar. It is great to have QSM
Ambassador Chris Wheeler incorporating our fabulous domestic produce in his dish of Roast Fillet of QSM beef with Marmite oxtail ragout, watercress purée, charred spring onion, potato and trompette mushroom terrine.”
Biju Joshwa (Sheraton Park Lane) worked with the students to create strawberry whipped ganache, lime Chantilly, créme fraiche ice cream and meringues for dessert.
Leading chef wear designer Bragard supplied fabulous Chefs’ Forum branded Grand Chef jackets, to make the chefs look very smart indeed.
Presiding at the occasion ‘front of house’ was Restaurant Manager and hospitality lecturer Sylvain Auger leading a team of fifteen level one students.
Sylvain said
“I love events like these where employers meet my students because it prepares my students to be work ready and its reassuring for them to hear the same messages from professionals as I impart on them every day. Today has been a fantastic experience for our students. The food was superb and it was a great opportunity to showcase our students’ professionalism and skills. I would like to thank The Chefs’ Forum for making today a great success and inspiring our students.”
All ingredients and drinks for the lunch were kindly sponsored by Koppert Cress, M&J Seafood, Walter Rose & Son and First Choice Produce. Diners were asked to contribute only what they were able to The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation, making this high-profile event and excellent cuisine accessible to all chefs, regardless of income.
Together, the chefs and students created and served a four-course meal for around 70 professionals from the catering industry who were all there to get in touch with the next generation of talent whilst catching up with their peers and suppliers.
Chefs’ Forum Founder Catherine Farinha concluded:
“We launched the London Chefs’ Forum in London back in 2014. It is fantastic to return to the capital three years later to work with a new cohort of students and the next generation of top chefs. The chefs and students did a fantastic job today, they really stepped up to the task and it’s important that we nurture and support the next generations of hospitality professionals. It’s important they have the opportunity to work with industry on the practical side, as well as on theory. For the West London’s College, this Chefs’ Forum event is an excellent opportunity to build on important networks and partnerships in the hospitality and catering industry.”
Photography by www.fayditphotography.com
BIRMINGHAM CHEFS GO FORAGING AT THE MANOR!
Foraging has been popular for some years now, and professional chefs’ enthusiasm for gathering food from wild and natural places is only increasing. On Monday 16th April, forty top chefs from Birmingham and surrounds flocked to a fascinating forage led by wild food expert David Harrison.
The picturesque gardens of Eckington Manor were slightly moist from rainfall the day before, which made it glisten in the sun. It was the perfect weather for the chefs to embark upon on a flora and fauna adventure in glorious spring sunshine. Harrison is Michelin-starred chef Simon Hulstone’s personal forager and sources wild ingredients exclusively for Simon and his small team of talented chefs at The Elephant, Torquay.
Today’s event was hosted by husband and wife culinary team, Mark and Sue Stinchcombe. The couple have a tremendous hall of foodie accolades between them; Mark won Masterchef: The Professionals in 2015 and Sue has multiple awards under her belt including Worcestershire Chef of The Year, an Acorn Award and a MAC Award.
The couple met at the 2 Michelin-starred Champignon de Sauvage and then embarked on a culinary adventure taking them to Australia, Thailand and New Zealand.
The gastronomic gathering commenced with a canapé and fizz reception where Mark, Sue and the students prepared a stunning array of bite-sized morsels for the culinary guests. The canapé menu comprised:
- Beef Tartare, Judy’s Onion and beer cracker
- Smoked pork fritter with prune puree
- Local Asparagus and hollandaise tart
- Blue cheese and walnut sable
Mark Hyde Catton joined Chefs’ Forum Founder Catherine Farinha in welcoming the guests and talked them through all of the successes achieved in securing work placements for his students through The Chefs’ Forum Academy.
Mark said
“Events like these are brilliant for our students. Working with such high level, accomplished chefs as Mark and Sue was very inspirational for them. Our level three students said that they really enjoyed this event as they got to do lots of work both in the kitchen and front of house. The Chefs’ Forum helps them forge relationships with employers and is a very valuable platform for them to secure work experience and job offers.”
Demo chef Claire Mansfield joined forces with Jack Cook of Walter Rose & Son to showcase the award-winning Synergy Grill, searing top quality Wiltshire meat to perfection. A double draw Adande refrigerated drawer unit completed the perfect BBQ terrace equipment solution as the top drawer was used as a fridge to store Walter Rose meat and the bottom drawer, as a freezer from which to serve delicious Alicia’s Ice Cream. 
Jack then showcased his butchery skills with Claire cooking the various cuts of top quality Stokes Marsh Farm beef and Cameron Naughton’s multi-award-winning pork. Karl Pendlebury from the AHDB told the chefs that British Beef week is fast on the approach and invited them to come forward with any queries they have on the quality standard marks.
Eckington Manor, nestled in the Avon Valley perfectly lent itself as the perfect venue for the wild food hunt with David Harrison.
Mark and sue joined forces to showcase one of their signature dishes; loin of venison, confit suede, hispi cabbage and pumpkin seeds.
Mark said
“The students were excellent today – It’s the first time we have worked with Gloucestershire College and we were very impressed.”
Sue added
“We were delighted to see so many girls in the kitchen today – I cannot wait to further our relationship with the college and teaching in The Chefs’ Forum Academy.”
The culinary experts went on a tour of Eckington Manor’s grounds, learning to find and identify the abundance of edible plants, seeds, nuts, flowers and fungi that grow wild in the beautiful Cotswolds countryside. They learnt that provided you are furnished with a permission from the land owner, the only real cost of foraging is time, a valuable resource for chefs. Most foraged produce is perishable and requires picking for service daily or every other day.
Forager David Harrison told chefs:
“Once you pick something, it immediately starts to lose its peak flavour and texture. So we do not store for that reason; we forage every day. It’s great to see so many chefs in attendance, we found lots of species today including hogweed, cow parsley, cleavers, nipplewort, hedge mustard, lesser celandine, bittercress, white nettles and red nettles. I hope that foraging with the chefs today spikes and interest in foraging and encourages them to bring this old skill back into the kitchen”
The event was a great chance for chefs to learn about foraging for their menus and the copious amount of amazing wild ingredients growing all around them. Once the chefs returned from the forage, they were treated to a beautiful afternoon tea of Clifton Coffee served with the following sweet canapes:
Coffee and caramel choux buns- Raspberry and lemon macaron
- White chocolate and orange pistachio cake
Catherine Farinha, Chefs’ Forum Founder and event organiser concluded:
“Eckington Manor was the perfect venue to hold an unusual and absorbing day of butchery grilling and foraging. It is great to see that the chefs are so keen on foraging and trying new cooking techniques with wild ingredients. Chefs’ Forum events provide a great opportunity for them all to meet up, touch base and share expertise and see the best products and produce available to them.”
The Chefs’ Forum launched in Birmingham in 2017 and has gone on to see many young chefs find work placements and apprenticeships in the best professional kitchens across the county and beyond!
Photography by www.fayditphotograpy.com
Archery, Spice and All Things Nice for Bristol Chefs at Thornbury Castle
The latest Bristol Chefs’ Forum event was right on target. Chefs and suppliers from across the Bristol area gathered at Thornbury Castle Hotel for an afternoon of networking and demonstrations, and to try their hand at archery and crossbow.
The event began with a sparkle, with a sparkling wine reception accompanied by canapés prepared and served by Andy Chan, Head Chef at Thornbury Castle, with the help of students from HIT Training, City of Bristol College and Weston College. It was great for these young kitchen and front of house students, from three different learning providers, to be able to work together as a team for the first time in a different environment – This was real industry experience!
Andy said: “The learners today have been a credit to the industry.
“They are so keen to learn, and hungry to learn, it’s wonderful to get people like them in the kitchen and see the future of catering. The have all been really great today”
Jack Cook of Walter Rose & Son took to the Chefs’ Forum demo stage to break down half a pig for his butchery masterclass. He talked the chefs and students through the various different cuts of meat to be achieved and products that could be made using the entire carcass with zero waste. Katlin Ambos, Spice Queen at Santa Maria then introduced the chefs to the Santa Maria range of herbs and spices urging them to pay more care and attention to such an important element of their cooking. Katlin then suggested some rubs to go with Jack’s choice cuts before Leander Cadbury of Synergy Grill carried them off to be grilled to perfection by demo chef Claire Mansfield.
Thornbury Castle chefs Andy Chan and Tom Everard-Fairburn (Head Pastry Chef) joined forces on the demo stage to showcase some dishes from the Thornbury Castle menu. Andy used the freshly-butchered pork loin to create a perfectly-balanced seasonal dish of pork with burnt apple balls and broccoli with a rich sauce. The Convotherm Mini Combi oven was used to finish the dish and it went down a storm with the visiting chefs. Tom then created a beautifully fresh passionfruit parfait with a raspberry mousse and freeze-dried raspberry garnish. Tom explained plans to create a fully-stocked kitchen garden to become completely self-sufficient.
Next on the agenda was a 
sumptuous barbecue on the Synergy Grill showcasing Walter Rose handmade sausages and burgers as well as more fabulous Santa Maria rubbed pork cuts from Jack’s butchery demo. The chefs took the opportunity to fuel-up in advance of their archery and crossbow activity on the lawns of t
he castle. Devon-based adventure sports company Backwater Adventures then gave guests the chance to try their hand at archery and crossbow – Great for relaxing on their day off!
Founder of The Chefs’ Forum Catherine Farinha, explained
“The purpose of The Chefs’ Forum is to connect chefs, education and top-quality suppliers to both. It is extremely important to involve student chefs and front of house professionals in the events. I am delighted that students from three learning providers were all working together under Andy in the kitchen – it has been a fantastic learning experience for them all.”
Chef lecturer Ryan Fernandes from City of Bristol College said
“At the moment it is difficult to recruit young people. Today’s event has enabled our students to showcase their skills to perspective employers. We really enjoy taking part in Chefs’ Forum events to keep up to date with industry trends and cooking styles as well as forging links with our teaching peers from other colleges and learning providers”.
Jeanette Rollings from Weston College added
“It is about getting young people involved in our industry. We need to invite schools into our colleges and inspire young people with food. My students have very much enjoyed their time at today’s Chefs’ Forum event, for many, at level one, it was their first Chefs’ Forum event and they loved being given the opportunity to attend. It’s a great follow-on from the work we are doing inside the college with The Chefs’ Forum Academy sessions, where guest chefs (all Chefs’ Forum members) enrich the learning of our students through delivering cookery masterclasses in our college kitchens.”
Angelo Moore from HIT Training agreed.
He said: “It’s important that we encourage young people in the industry.
“HIT is a national training provider and we also have a Chefs’ Academy. We liaise with employers and heads of industry to make sure that we keep what we do current and deliver work-based learning qualifications which proves a great solution for many employers. It’s also great for our apprentices to experience different organisations and to work with other industry professionals.”
The Chefs’ Forum continues to hold four events per year in Bristol and any chefs wishing to join should email Rebecca Saunders, Member Relations Executive rebecca@redcherry.uk.com
Photography by: www.fayditphotograpy.com
The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation Spring Lunch Raised £4,000 for Young Hospitality Professionals
The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation held its first Executive Chefs’ Spring Lunch for sixty guests. The sell-out event showcasing four multi-award-winning Executive Chefs generated over £4,000 for the foundation incorporated to support young chefs coming into the hospitality industry. The event with Bath Audi as Headline Sponsor, took place at The Bath Priory on the 19th March 2018.
Michael Nizzero, Executive Chef of The Bath Priory hosted the event which saw three other guest Executive Chefs join him on the pass. Michael has been at The Bath Priory for two years but prior to his appointment at this beautiful hotel, he has worked with many industry greats including Michel and Alain Roux at the three Michelin-starred Waterside Inn and most recently The Ritz (London). The Spring Lunch saw him cook with three peers, each with a combination of Michelin stars, TV appearances and industry accreditations to raise money for The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation. Each chef expertly cooked one of four courses to showcase the best cooking that the Bath & Cotswolds area has to offer. The Executive chefs who took part were:
Michael Nizzero (The Bath Priory), Niall Keating (Whatley Manor), Hywel Jones (Lucknam Park) and Richard Davies (Calcot Manor).
Host Michael Nizzero said:
“The Spring Lunch was an amazing experience – it was a real privilege to work with such talented chefs from the Bath & Cotswolds area in our kitchen at The Bath Priory. Huge thanks to Bath College and Gloucestershire College for arranging for their top students to work with us in the kitchen – they were a real credit to their colleges.”
Paola Cassoti, General Manager at The Bath Priory added:
“We are very happy to host The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation’s Spring Lunch. It is great to see so many industry experts in one room and a really rewarding experience to support the next generation of hospitality professionals.”
A silent, sealed bid auction made up of luxury dinners and stays donated by the chefs taking part, with a Hallgarten Wines sponsored Magnum and 6 Vinoteque crystal glasses from Artis helped to boost monies raised making this a highly successful fundraising lunch. Sponsors including Walter Rose & Son, Flying Fish, Santa Maria, Dorset Sea Salt, Koppert Cress, French Garden, Premier Cheese, Clifton Coffee and Hallgarten Wines all donated ingredients driving down the food cost, making the most money possible for The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation. The chefs who took part in the lunch often give up their time to work with and mentor hospitality students at the Gloucestershire College via The Chefs’ Forum Academy and demos at Bath College enabling them to learn from the best.
Catherine Farinha gave a speech about the fabulous work The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation does in helping young chefs and hospitality professionals overcome problems with travel, relocation and equipment costs.
Catherine commented:
“The work we do is vital in offering support to young people entering the hospitality industry. From helping schools transport GCSE students to hospitality industry taster days, to paying for driving lessons or a first month’s rent, it is fund-raising Chefs’ Lunches like these that facilitate our offering help to the next generation, bridging the chef shortage. 
At the lunch, hospitality and catering students from Gloucestershire and Bath Colleges got the opportunity to sample the best in Michelin-starred fine dining, most of them, for the very first time. All students who attended were chosen for outstanding performance on their hospitality courses.
Mark Hyde Catton, Chefs’ Forum Academy coordinator at Gloucestershire College concluded:
This lunch represented everything The Chefs’ Forum Academy at Gloucestershire College has become and we are so grateful to the chefs and sponsors for their involvement in this event for such a worthy cause. It is a fact that young people, through no fault of their own require assistance when they are first starting out in the hospitality industry. It was amazing to speak to Chef Michael Nizzero who has invited our students back to work in his kitchen. I am delighted to see that today’s lunch and funds raised has made this possible, as many of our students will need financial help to travel to Bath. This lunch was also a fabulous chance for current and future chefs and front of house professionals to witness first-hand, industry-leading cookery and service!’
Photography by: www.fayditphotography.com
Patisserie, Picanha and Pistols at Lainston House
Top chefs from across Hampshire were gunning for success at the latest meeting of The Chefs’ Forum.
The event, held on Monday 5th March, at Lainston House near Winchester saw some of the county’s greatest culinary talents coming together with high-end suppliers and hospitality and catering students from The Exclusive Chefs’ Academy, Highbury College and Basingstoke College for an afternoon of networking, demonstrations, delicious food and even some laser clay pigeon shooting.
It is the third time that The Chefs’ Forum has returned to this stunning venue as it lands itself perfectly to such an event with its state of the art cookery school and world-class chef training academy.
Students from Highbury College and Basingstoke college were invited to come for an assessment day to try out for the Exclusive Chefs’ Academy on Friday 16th March, further dates will be published the following month.
Executive Chef for Exclusive Hotels and Venues Chefs’ Academy, Andrew Mackenzie said
“It was great to showcase our Academy to potential students for the new intake this year. Many visiti
ng students from Highbury and Basingstoke Colleges seemed very keen to know how it all works. It would be great to see some of them attend our forthcoming assessment day as a result of The Chefs’ Forum event today – They looked like they really enjoyed themselves and did an excellent job of preparing canapés with our existing Academy students.
The event kicked-off with a canapé and fizz reception – the food prepared by Executive Chef Andrew Birch, Exclusiv
e Chefs’ Academy and the students from the visiting colleges.
Ingredients for the canapés and demos were kindly donated by Chefs’ Forum Sponsors Walter Rose & Son, Koppert Cress, Country Fare and Santa Maria.
Andrew said: “All the students performed fantastically well and should be very proud of what they produced. It was great to have young people from so many different institutions joining our students at the Exclusive Chefs’ Academy to share what they have learnt.”
Andrew then created a fantastic quail dish with Exclusive Chefs’ Academy student Greg Evans confidently assisting throughout the demo.
This was followed by a stunning patisserie demonstration by pastry chef Nicolas Bouhelier.
Next it was time for some delicious Walter Rose picanha, award-winning sausages and burgers cooked to perfection on the Synergy Grill and outdoor cooking arsenal by Living Outside.
The guests also had the chance to sample award-winning Dorset Sea Salt from the neighbouring county – A fine way to season the delicious grilled delights, hand-harvested by young entrepreneur Jethro Tennant, the latest sponsor to join The Chefs’ Forum.
The chefs really enjoyed the feast laid on for them and there was an abundance of positive feedback on the day by professional chefs and students alike.
Everyone then had a shot at winning a prize with a laser-clay pigeon shooting session in the stunning grounds of Lainston House.
Founder of The Chefs’ Forum Catherine Farinha said: “The Chefs’ Forum is all about making connections and sharing knowledge
and this event really highlighted this. Not only did chefs have the chance to meet some fantastic suppliers, and students have the chance to see Lainston’s wonderful chefs in action, but perhaps most importantly, students from many different learning centres had the chance to come together and share their knowledge with each other and network with employers.
These young people are the future of this industry and if today’s event is an indication of what is to come then I think we can all be confident that the industry has a very bright future.
“I would like to thank everyone for coming today and especially our sponsors without whom these events would not be possible.”
Photography by www.andrewplantphotography.com
Top Cornish Chefs Cooked to Support Young Chefs at Senara Restaurant, Penwith Campus
On Monday (26) February, The Chefs’ Forum joined forces with Bryok Williams (The Square at Porthleven), Ashley Gains (Rick Stein’s Porthleven), Ken Symons (Oliver’s), Ben Prior (Ben’s Cornish Kitchen) and Penwith College to stage a stunning Chefs’ Lunch to raise vital funds for young chefs coming into industry. The Chefs’ Lunch came after five years of working with Truro and Penwith College. Having opened eight years ago, Senara Restaurant was launched to inspire, train and develop hospitality professionals in Cornwall.
The lunch raised an impressive £640 for The Chefs’ Forum Educational Foundation, all of which will support schools, colleges and education providers in assistance with mini buses and coaches to transport students to work experience and industry events. Last week saw a Hospitality Industry Taster Day take place at Gloucestershire College where three coaches were provided to transport eight local feeder schools to the event. The Chefs’ Forum would like to do more of these types of events to inspire GCSE students to train to be chefs and front of house professionals, which will in turn boost college registrations and bridge the shortfall in chefs.
HIT Training learners Hannah Salisbury (24) and Ben Paulsom (22) joined their Penwith College peers in the kitchen to cook with the visiting chefs. This is also such a positive experience for the learners as it enables them to network with their peers from other learning providers whilst studying.
Ken Symons, Award-winning Chef Patron of Oliver’s (Falmouth) said:
“I love passing on my knowledge and skills to young chefs, I strongly believe that all good chefs should teach. Its great to be here at the college today and there’s a great atmosphere created by
all involved in this positive event.
Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum stated:
“It was a real honour to collaborate with the College on The Chefs’ Lunch. It is amazing to see chefs in industry being so generous in supporting the next generation of chefs and front of house professionals with their time and expertise. Students at Truro & Penwith College always demonstrate great aptitude in showcasing their skills at our quarterly chef networking events in Cornwall; Working with the top chefs in the kitchen today will build on their excellent skill sets, making them even more work-ready.
“This event, really celebrates Cornwall’s reputation as a foodie stronghold. We are so grateful to the chefs who took part to raise money to help 14-25-year olds with travel and equipment expenses.”
The Chefs’ Forum works with young people through Hospitality Industry Taster Days, The Chefs’ Forum Academy and work experience to inspire and encourage young people to develop a career in hospitality. The Chefs’ Forum will also support individuals to explore employment and further training and progression opportunities with local employers.
Graham Oxley, Programme Team Leader at Penwith College said
“There is no substitute for gaining industry experience whist studying hospitality and catering as you quickly develop the skills you need to progress in this fast-paced industry. We’re proud to support The Chefs’ Forum and work with those who are passionate about great food and supporting our students.”
Level four Hospitality Management student Amelia Sawyers (20) has worked on five previous Chefs’ Forum events and was supervising the restaurant at the lunch today, she said
“I really like Chefs’ Forum events as its great for us students to experience different venues acquire new skills working with a variety of different chefs. Its great to have four great local chefs at our college today – really exciting!
I have really enjoyed supervising the lunch today as the food was amazing and it was a joy to see the guests’ reactions – I love making people smile!”
The day featured a mini trade show where equipment and produce suppliers showcased their products and equipment. There was also the chance to try a range of award-winning Cornish sausages by Two Brothers Foods washed down with Secret Orchard cider locally made by college lecturer Todd Studley.
Special thanks go to Chefs’ Forum Sponsors Two Brothers, Koppert Cress, Total Produce, HIT Training, Santa Maria, Fish For Thought, Clifton Coffee, Synergy Grill and Oliver Harvey whose greatly-valued support facilitates events like these to take place.
Photography by www.fayditphotography.com
