Fishy Business Chefs’ Forum Event at Bournemouth & Poole College had Dorset Chefs Hooked!

The Chefs’ Forum held a convention at Bournemouth & Poole College yesterday which majored on Sustainable Fish. The use of sustainable fish in cooking is key if we are to leave resources for future generations to eat fish.

During the event, Mark Machin from Samways Fish talked about sustainable fishing and responsible sourcing and its importance in today’s industry.  The chefs were shown what species they should be using  versus species to avoid at various times of year.

Sustainable fish cookery demonstrations were performed for the guests by top chefs Matt Budden of The Highcliff Marriott and Taher Jibet of The Dining Room.

Produce for the event was kindly donated by Chefs’ Forum Sponsors Samways Fish, Walter Rose & Son butchers and Coastline Food Service.

The chefs showcased oysters with fennel and dried mullet roe, squid two ways, grey mullet sashimi and roasted grey mullet. A Cooktek induction hob and Unox oven were used in the demo. Matt and Taher then created a stunning display on a slate sleeper for their peers to taste the dishes .

First year BTEC College students also attended the event, helped create and serve canapés and a Champagne Taittinger reception. They also met some of the top connoisseurs in the restaurant industry.

Matt Budden commented:

“The students’ work was of a great standard, they showed a positive attitude, willingness to work and were asking lots of questions.  They were a pleasure to work with and a great example of the next generation of chefs”.

‘A Game of Guns’ with Top Chefs at The Prestigious Lady’s Wood Shooting School

The February sun shone on the prestigious Lady’s Wood Shooting School as majestic peacocks called in its beautiful grounds. Sixty top chefs from The Cotswolds and Bath Chefs’ Forum enjoyed a day of clay shooting whilst forging links with their peers, young chefs and aspiring front of house professionals at City of Bath College and Gloucestershire College. Michelin-starred Sam Moody (The Bath Priory) and Michael Stenekes (Calcot Manor) led the students in producing game canapés for an audience of industry experts.
Annette Cole from The British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC) gave an educational speech to the culinary experts on sourcing game meat responsibly.

Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum commented:
We held this event to showcase the connection between the sport of game shooting and game meat and hopefully increase the use of game meat in the chefs repertoire for next season. It is great that the students learned about the benefits of game meat whilst training to be chefs – They will take this knowledge on into industry with them.”

Hospitality students from City of Bath College and Gloucestershire College joined Sam and Michael in their respective kitchens to prepare game canapés for an audience of top local chefs at Lady’s Wood Shooting School. This was to demonstrate the great skills that they have acquired on their courses with a view to securing apprenticeships to further their career. The Bath Priory and Calcot Manor were delighted with the level of skill and professionalism demonstrated by the hospitality students whilst they were working in their kitchens.

Expert shooting coaches at Lady’s Wood tutored top chefs and catering students in clay pigeon shooting with a view to inviting them to take up shooting as a sport. With further coaching they will then have the necessary skills to shoot their own game meat to incorporate it into their menus.

Game meat is delicious and there are many different species to enjoy and different times of year due to its seasonality – This event showcased its versatility in the various ways it can be prepared.
Annette Cole (BASC) commented:
“It was exciting to see so many of the top chefs from the Cotswold area. It was a great opportunity for me to talk to them about sourcing game responsibly to ensure they have a continued supply of sustainable and quality wild game meat. I also gave them a few tips about when to buy game to make sure they produce great game dishes and improve their bottom line. The Chefs are passionate about their food and cooking and are always keen to learn more about their trade”.

Bristol Food Connections: Bringing people and good food together

In May 2014, Bristol is hosting a groundbreaking, citywide food festival

From 1^st – 11^th May 2014 Bristol is hosting a revolutionary food festival spanning the entire city.

Aptly named Bristol Food Connections, the event will bring together the many vibrant food cultures and communities already thriving in Bristol and inspire visitors to celebrate and engage with them.

In collaboration with the BBC, Bristol City Council, Bristol University and other Bristol institutions the festival will educate and build on Bristol’s pioneering attitude to food. Events will be affordable and accessible to all with the emphasis on knowledge, participation and fun.

From a large celebration in Millennium Square to Eat, Drink, Bristol Fashion in Queen Square, Bristol’s streets will be alive with the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of good food for the full 11 days. The BBC Food and Farming Awards will also be held in the city for the first time during the event.

The BBC will be hosting one of the main sites of the Food Connections Festival on the waterfront. Throughout the festival a wide range of BBC broadcast programmes and their stars will visit the site and there’ll be a host of hands on activities designed to inspire A deeper knowledge of food and its role in our lives, as well lots of help with everyday cooking skills.

The festival will also harness other events taking place in the city during the 11 days. These include the Bristol 10K and Bristol Walking Festival, helping to connect the dots between food and exercise.

Speaking of the event, festival curator Lorna Knapman said: “Food Connections is the perfect opportunity to join the dots and work together as a city to inspire and get people excited about good food. It’s so important that we look at the bigger picture when it comes to food. What we eat, how that food is produced, with whom that food is eaten, the lifestyle we have around food, exercise, making sure everyone has enough to eat are all so intrinsically linked. Bristol has a vibrant food community and unique food culture and that needs to be seen and celebrated.”

Commenting on the unique BBC collaboration, Clare McGinn, Head of BBC Radio & Music Production Bristol said: “It is great to see the unique partnership between Bristol and the BBC resulting in the Bristol Food Connections festival. This is a creative city with a can do attitude and you can really see that in the inventive way people relate to food.  We are delighted to be a partner in this exciting festival that, we hope, will get people across the whole of Bristol and beyond sharing their stories, opinions and food knowledge with each other.”

For more information and to get involved in this exciting event visit www.bristolfoodconnections.com. The Food Connections team wants to hear from communities, individuals, restaurants, producers, chefs, volunteers and anyone interested in being a part of food connections.

Six South West Michelin Chefs Cooked Our Autumn Lunch For Hospitality Action!

The Chefs’ Forum held an Autumn Lunch to celebrate a successful second year in aid of Industry Charity, Hospitality Action. The lunch took place at The Bath Priory on the 21st October 2013.

Michelin-starred Sam Moody, Executive Chef of The Bath Priory hosted the event and cooked with five Michelin-starred peers. Each expertly-executed one of six courses to showcase the best cooking that the South West has to offer. The chefs who took part were:

Sam Moody (The Bath Priory), Martin Blunos (TV Chef & Seaham Hall), Richard Davies (The Manor House Hotel, Castle Combe), Josh Eggleton (The Pony & Trap, Chew Magna), Russell Brown (Sienna, Dorset) and Paul Ainsworth (No. 6, Padstow).

Host, Sam Moody said:

“Yesterday’s event was fantastic, it was such a privilege to work with such talented chefs from across the South West and a fabulous opportunity for my team to work with them in our kitchen at The Bath Priory. It was especially great to work with Martin Blunos who held two Michelin stars for fourteen years; his jovial character made our day extremely enjoyable”.

Ken Crosland from Hospitality Action delivered a poignant speech about the fabulous work the charity does in helping chefs overcome problems with stress, debt, drug and alcohol issues.

Ken commented:

“The work we do is vital in offering support to hospitality people when they fall on hard times.  It is great that The Chefs Forum is helping to raise our profile and highlight the work we do”.

Hospitality and catering students from South West colleges sampled the best in Michelin-starred dining, most of them, for the very first time. All students who attended were chosen for outstanding performance on their hospitality courses.

Catherine Farinha, Chefs’ Forum Founder and Hospitality Action, South West Regional Board Member stated:

The Chefs’ Forum is now a South West and South East-wide concern. It was great to have hospitality students and teaching staff from all  regions present at the event.  This lunch represented everything The Chefs’ Forum has become and we are so grateful to the chefs for cooking for The Chefs’ Forum & Hospitality Action.  It  was a fabulous chance for tomorrows chefs and front of house staff to witness first-hand  industry-leading cookery and service!’

Sharp Skills Demonstrated at The Chefs’ Forum in Sunny Weston!

TV Chef Arthur Potts-Dawson and Raymond Blanc-trained Amy Hunt (Oak and Glass) led Weston College students in catering for a tough audience of top chefs from across the south west.  Michelin-starred Chef, James Wilkins (Wilks Restaurant) performed a knife skills master class.

Wilks’ cookery demo of a plate of seasonal vegetables w./ Serrano ham, herbs & flowers

(Photography by Tim Martin)

The Chefs’ Forum convened at Weston College’s Hans Price Conference Centre on Monday October 14, to inspire the College’s catering students with a day of cookery demos, chef skills masterclasses and industry networking with top suppliers.

Graham Smith, Weston College‘s Training Manager, Hospitality and Event Management, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for us at Weston College. The involvement of the area’s leading chefs enriches our students’ experience because they will be learning with the best chefs at the top of their game.”

Arthur Potts-Dawson and Amy Hunt worked tirelessly with young chefs at the college to help students prepare and serve impressive welcome canapés.

Arthur commented:
“I was extremely impressed with the standard of the young people working in the kitchen with me today.  They demonstrated great skill and determination – They were a pleasure to work with”!

Arthur then gave an impressive cookery demonstration of venison and pancetta on a Control Induction Plancha.

Clifton Food Range demo chef, Stephan Jouan ‘tag-teamed’ with Arthur to showcase sous-vide cookery cooking scallops at 42° and rustled up a pea puree to accompany in the Thermomix!

Professional chefs and students alike really enjoyed the demo and took full advantage of a ‘questions and answers’ session afterwards.

Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum stated:
“This event proved a major success in that the students really benefitted from being in the company of such great chefs.  The Chefs’ Forum oils the wheels of communication between industry and education and there is nothing more rewarding then students feeding back with comments about “what a great day they had”!

BRITISH HOSPITALITY ASSOCIATION TARGETS HOSPITALITY LEADERS IN SOUTH WEST REGION – JOBS PUSH!

The Big Hospitality Conversation comes to City of Bath College on October 15^th 2013

The BHA is set to galvanise the hospitality and tourism industry to invest in young people with the latest ‘The Big Hospitality Conversation’ which will specifically target to South West Region.

Set to take place in to City of Bath College on October 15th 2013, the initiative will invite hospitality and restaurant businesses from across the South West to make pledges to create new jobs in the UK for 16-24 year olds, helping to tackle youth unemployment as well as embracing a common approach to work placements, internships and apprenticeships.

In the past twelve months over 1,200 industry representatives have attended Big Conversation events, pledging the creation of 31,000 new jobs between now and 2015 (with more to come).  Previous events have focused on the wider hospitality industry including hotels, food service management services and restaurants.

Led by the BHA in partnership with Springboard, the Business in the Community (BITC) and Barclays The Big Conversation initiative will be hosted by City of Bath College in Avon Street, Bath.

Says BHA CEO Ufi Ibrahim:  “Galvanised by the BHA’s – Big Hospitality Conversation – Britain’s hospitality industry is leading the fight on youth unemployment. In just twelve months, our industry created 31,000 new career opportunities for 16 to 24 year olds, offering that vital first step onto a rewarding career ladder in hospitality.

“I have no doubt that many of those entering the industry through the Big Hospitality Conversation will make it to the very top, thereby joining the thousands of British chairpersons, managing directors, senior executives and entrepreneurs, who all started out at entry level in hospitality.  There are very few other industries that can boast such progression and advancement in career terms”.

Anne Pierce MBE, CEO Springboard said: “Springboard are delighted to part of the Big Conversation. We see this as a great way to bring together industry leaders and young people to create a meaningful dialogue resulting in many unemployed and disadvantaged young people gaining vital work experience, apprenticeship and employment opportunities. The number of pledges are amazing as they are leaving a legacy for job creation and growth for the UK hospitality industry.”

The Big Hospitality Conversation comes hot on the heels of the recently signed agreement between the BHA, the Minister of State for Employment and the Department of Work & Pensions to – ‘better serve the needs of the hospitality sector while giving those people who wish to pursue a career in hospitality a recognised route into work’.  It is envisaged that the agreement will be an important step in ensuring the hospitality and tourism industry receives the necessary government backing to realise its full job-creating potential in the UK.

Big Hospitality Conversation events targeting the hospitality and restaurant industry will be held across the UK throughout the remainder of 2013 and 2014.

Attendees confirmed:

Abbey Hotel Bath; Bailbrook House Hotel; Barclays; Bath Ales; Brownsworld Hotels; Calcot Manor Hotel; City of Bath College; City of Bristol College; Considerate Hoteliers Association; Edge Hotel School; Alexandra Hotel; Headland Hotel; Job Centre Plus; Lifetime Training; Lucknam Park Hotel; Premier Inn; Pride of Britain Hotels; Springboard; The Bath Priory; The Kings Head Cirencester; The Melksham Oak Community School; The Royal Crescent; Upskill People

Game Tasting Evening at The Star & Dove with City of Bristol College Students!

The Star and Dove present a Game tasting evening with City of Bristol College

On Thursday 17^th October City of Bristol College catering students (Apprentice L3, VRQ 3 food service and B’Tec) will take over and run a 5 course tasting Game Dinner menu for 50 guests at The Star and Dove. local game meat is being supplied by Country Sports South West. The cost of the dinner will be £35 and City of Bristol College students will be assisting in cooking and serving the food, which will include dishes from The College!

Please call The Star & Dove to book your tickets NOW: 0117 9332892

For one night only master cooks and apprentices will deliver a 6 course tasting menu taken from Robert Mays “An Accomplished Cook” (1665).

6 Courses – £35 per person

Drinks flight available

Bill of fare

Pottage in the italian fashion

Green pease,smoked duck, anniseed

A hash of partridges

Fried oysters, chestnuts, lemon

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Dish of pigeons

Pine apple seeds, pistaches, cinamon

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Forced pheasent

Minced Veal,barberries,mace

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Roast Red Dear

Claret Wine, ginger, rosemary

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Afters

Quaking Pudding

Marrow, rosewater, rasins 

Dorset Chefs Catch It, Cook It, Eat It at West Bay!

Top Dorset chefs, The Lyme Bay Reserve, Samways Fish Merchants and local fishermen gathered on The sunny Old Pier at West Bay yesterday for Catch It, Cook It Eat It’ organised by The Chefs’ Forum. Highlights of the day included fish filleting contests among professional  chefs and catering students , insightful question and answer sessions with the Lyme Bay Reserve and fish cookery demos which all made for a very interesting day!

Bournemouth and Poole College has been awarded The World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS), a global network of top chefs, has recognised the college’s culinary education programme, labeling it one of the best 20 in the world. Students from this fantastic education facility helped cater and serve at the ‘Catch It, Cook It, Eat It’ event to a tough audience of future employers.

The young chefs and hospitality professionals really enjoyed the day and Btec Level 3 Hospitality Student Jess Burbidge (17) won a top-of-the-range set of chefs’ knives dontaed by Edge of Belgravia for scooping first place in the ‘Fastest Forum Filleter’ student heat.

Chefs’ Forum Committee member Brett Sutton (Eastbury Hotel) won the Professional heat of the fish filleting contest…and a prize of an induction donated by Control Induction.

He said:  “I  was very impressed with the students’ knife skills and am looking forward to having them work in my busy kitchen one day!

Local veteran Fisherman Dave Sales talked to the group of chefs about the work of the Lyme Bay Reserve and how it benefits him in preventing large commercial fishing fleets from desecrating the waters.

Neville Copperthwaite, spokesman for the Lyme Bay Marine Preserve said:”Our mission is to raise awareness of over forty species of fish that we have here in Lyme bay.  The main aim of our project is to help fishermen get the best price for the fish they catch whilst protecting the seabed and conserving nature”.

Matt Budden,  Head Chef at the High Cliff Grill, Bournemouth stated:

It was good to see students engaging with the fishing community so that they can gain a better understanding of sustainable fishing.  Lyme Bay Reserve is an invaluable tool for chefs to use as a resource for menu development.

Christophe Baffos, Head of Hospitality & Tourism (Bournemouth & Poole College) said:  “We as a College are looking to improve our links with Dorset employers in the catering industry and The Chefs’ Forum is a perfect vehicle to do this.  Chefs’ Forum events help us to keep in touch with industry and improve communication with professional kitchens on a local level”.

The Chefs’ Forum launched two years ago  and has since expanded to include highly accredited  chefs, catering colleges and top suppliers on a South West and South East regional level.

Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum and event organiser stated: “We have forged valuable links between the catering colleges and top chefs across the South of the UK and it is wonderful to stage another event in Dorset. This event brought top chefs and students together with local fishermen.  Our events are a great opportunity next generation of top chefs and Front of House professionals learning from the very best in the business”.

Top Kent Chefs Enjoy a Sunny Vineyard Forage with Chef, Charlie Lakin and Forager, David Harrison!

Top chefs from across Kent flocked to a sunny vineyard in ‘The Garden of England’ owned by The Marquis at Alkham (near Dover) for an afternoon of foraging wild food. Students from East Kent College helped cater and serve culinary experts and future employers at the event to showcase their impressive skills!

 Photography: Manu Polomeque

Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum stated,  “The Chefs’ Forum serves to bridge the gap between education and industry, facilitates communication between top chefs and encourages them to share knowledge and best practice with each other and the next generation of young hospitality professionals.  More chefs should forage as it makes for truly seasonal and locally-sourced menus – These natural ingredients are both very tasty and completely free!”

 Expert forager, David Harrison led the chefs and hospitality students on an inspirational tour of the wine-producing meadow and hedgerows to discover a bounty of flora and fauna that can be incorporated into fine cuisine menus including the common acorn!

Many edible species were found including Chickweed, Dandelion, Bramble bud tips, Silver weed, Ladies smock, Common Sorrel, Ground Ivy, Hawthorne berries, Chervil, Greater & Ribwort plantains, Redshank, Bittercress, Nettles and Yarrow. David also pointed out wild cherry trees to Charlie Lakin for next year’s harvest.

David commented,“As exclusive forager to Torquay-based Michelin-starred Chef Simon Hulstone, I really enjoyed visiting virgin territory in Kent and teaching the local chefs about various species and their appearance.  It was also great to see and hear how Charlie Lakin incorporates them into his menus!”

Head Chef at the Marquis,  BBC2’s Great British Menu Chef, Charlie Lakin and his brigade of young chefs produced fabulous canapés showcasing foraged ingredients including pickled Alexander seeds, wild fennel flowers and Douglas fir.  The team assisted by College students  laid-on an impressive barbeque for their peers using local produce, championing snails and quails!

Charlie commented, “I forage for my menu on a daily basis. Having David visit the vineyard was extremely useful and we will be up there next week picking all of the new discoveries for our menu at The Marquis at Alkham. David spotted things that I have missed due to targeting specific ingredients so it was great to have a fresh pair of eyes on our usual foraging patch”

VRQ Students, Stevie Janisch, Ryan Stanley and Michael Coombs (East Kent College) really enjoyed the day and ‘wowed’ a tough audience of industry experts with their flawless service, Stevie said:

“It was an amazing experience at The Chefs’ Forum today in Dover and we got to meet some great chefs – I especially enjoyed a the cookery demonstrations by Alan Pickett (Plateau Restaurant) and Charlie Lakin”

Stevie has already received an of work as a result of yesterday’s  Chefs’ Forum event – This is great news for all of us. Her lecturer Rob Alsworth said that she puts herself forward for high-profile industry events as she sees the benefit to her future career.  As the age of just 17, Stevie has also worked at events at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle for the Queen’s Garter.  She has also worked for HRH Prince Micheal of Kent at Brands Hatch.

The Chefs’ Forum will continue to organise quarterly chef events across Kent and bolster the relationship between Colleges and leading professional kitchens.

Largest Food and Home show in South West to stage ‘Chefs’ Forum Pop-Up Restaurant’ for Children’s Hospice South West

The Bristol Home, Food & Drink Festival, now in its third year, will play host to TV chef Martin Blunos at the mammoth, purpose-built UWE Exhibition & Conference Centre in Frenchay, Bristol on 26-27th October 2013.

The hugely successful event, organised by Nationwide Exhibitions, will showcase the very best that the west has to offer including a myriad of top local chefs, food & drink producers and beautiful home wares.  There is still time to register to exhibit at the show and organisers welcome enquiries from potential stallholders.

Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy live cookery demonstration by two Michelin-starred TV chef Martin Blunos and other award-winning local chefs including Josh Eggleton, Chris Wicks and Peter Gorton.

This year a fabulous pop-up restaurant will take place in the evening on the 26th October which will see students from City of Bristol College working with top local chefs to cook and serve a fabulous feast with wine paired to each course – Tickets for this are available on www.homeandfoodfestival.co.uk.

Here’s a sneak peak at Top Chef Chris Wicks’ fabulous Menu:

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Green herb puree gougeres

Mackerel, micro melons, sea herbs, horseradish cream

Wood pigeon, leg pastille, celeriac, spicy jus

Beetroot terrine with tymsboro slate

Apple tatin and bay leaf ice cream

Petit fours

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To really showcase Bristol’s fabulous world-food scene, Husband and wife team, Sherrie Eugene-Hart and Pat Hart will be showcasing Carib-asian cuisine and Romy Gill, Indian delicacies.

We are in the midst of a baking revolution:  Shows like the BBC’s Great British Bake Off have led to a surge in popularity of all things cake and sugarcraft! This year the Home,  Food & Drink Festival will welcome an eight-strong sugar craft demonstration team from Manchester.  These lovely baking experts will be performing cake and sugarcraft demonstrations non-stop throughout the two-day show!

The local Keynsham and Saltford Sugarcraft Guild will also be performing demonstrations all day long. As it this isn’t enough of a treat, the Portishead Sugercraft Club will stage a sugary-sweet competition as well as running masterclasses for the duration of the festival.

In addition, local producers will be holding an array of contemporary food and drink masterclasses in the demonstration theatres.  These will include sessions on butchery, bakery, cocktails, cheese and cider!

Food isn’t the only item on the agenda: Visitors will find a fantastic range of quality companies showcasing new and innovative ways to improve the home.  Exhibitors will range from external security solutions, Devon Duvets (as sold in Harrods), water purification systems, garden gazebos and loft ladders!

Visitors to The Bristol Home, Food & Drink Festival will be able to browse, sample and experience the best exhibitors Bristol and the West has to offer such as Robert Welch Knives, Bramley & Gage liquors, Riverford Home Delivery and the Upton Cheyney Chilli Farm.

Nigel Stevens, Exhibition Organiser for Nationwide Exhibitions, commented:

“We are holding the Home and Food Festival at the UWE Exhibition Centre for the third year running after a hugely successful exhibitions over the last two years.  It continues Nationwide Exhibitions’ 30-year history of creating and launching distinctive, innovative events. It is really exciting to be majoring on food this time in a city with such a vibrant local food scene.  The Festival will provide a unique opportunity for foodies and home lovers to discover new products and ideas in a fun and friendly environment.”

FREE FESTIVAL TICKETS FOR CHEFS’ FORUM MEMBERS – Email catherine@redcherry.uk.com for e-tickets. The event takes place on 26-27th October at the UWE Exhibition & Conference Centre, adjacent to the University’s Frenchay Campus.

For more details, please visit www.homeandfoodfestival.co.uk.  Alternatively, click here for directions.