Porter & Vadis Awarded at Public Sector Catering Awards

Neil Porter, a twice chair of LACA (Local Authority Caterers Association) took home a long-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Public Sector Catering Awards. Chairing LACA more than once is rare with only three people who have had the honour.

Porter’s most celebrated period as chair of LACA was from 2008-2009 when he was faced with the aftermath of Jamie Oliver’s school meals TV onslaught. He was first chair of LACA from 2004-2005.

Since 2008 Porter helmed LACA’s Events Group which oversees LACA’s showpiece annual conference Main Event. During his tenure the event grew in importance and added new elements such as Finishing Touches, the final of the School Chef of the Year (SCOTY) and the Grab & Go Challenge.

Chef Nick Vadis of Compass won the Special Contribution Award for helping to build the NHS Chefs Academy. He also played a big role in The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge where his expertise and drive fused with his knowledge of healthcare really made a difference to our new book.

King’s College London, however, was the biggest winner on the night. They took home the University Award, the Sustainability Award and the Health & Nutrition Award. Plus, catering team member Lisa Connellan was this year’s Unsung Hero.

The full list of this year’s winners:

• Armed Forces Caterer of the Year Award (sponsored by Ecolog): POCS Cat Taylor – Royal Navy
• Care Catering Award (sponsored by Cereal Partners): Care UK Food and Hotel Services
• Catering College Award (sponsored by Young’s Seafood): Cambridge Regional College
• Catering Manager of the Year Award (sponsored by Rational): June Cormie – Education Catering
• Chef of the Year Award (sponsored by Unox): Kath Breckon – NYES Catering (North Yorkshire Council)
• Contract Caterer of the Year Award (sponsored by Lockhart Aggora): Cleverchefs
• Education Catering Award (sponsored by Premier Foods): Downham Market Academy Catering Team
• Health & Nutrition Award (sponsored by Bidfood): King’s Food Team – King’s College London
• Hospital Catering Award (sponsored by Pelican Procurement Services): Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
• Innovation Award (sponsored by Birds Eye Foodservice & Green Cuisine): Compass Group One Retail Team
• Marketing Award (sponsored by Wafflemeister): Shire Services
• Special Contribution Award (Middleton Foods): Nick Vadis – NHS Supply Chain: Food
• Sustainability Award (sponsored by apetito): King’s Food Team – King’s College London
• Team of the Year Award (Essential Cuisine): Sodexo and DIO teams based in Cyprus
• Training & Apprenticeship Award (sponsored by Brakes): Andrew Cullum – Avery Healthcare
• University Catering Award (Sponsored by TUCO Foundation): King’s Food Team – King’s College London
• Unsung Hero Award sponsored by Civica): Lisa Connellan – King’s College London
• Lifetime Achievement Award (sponsored by Unilever Food Solution): Neil Porter

Top Chefs Shine on The Chefs’ Forum Demo Stage at HRC

Showgoers, celebrity chefs and suppliers all praised the culinary delights of The Chefs’ Forum demo stage at HRC. From Top Chef Brasil and top London College to hotel exec chef and MasterChef: The Professionals, The Chefs’ Forum had culinary excellence in spades.

The Chefs’ Forum stand featured food from across the UK and the globe with specialist equipment from Unox, CookTek and MCS Technical Products and ingredients from Brakes, Royal Greenland, Saucery, Carita Coffee and BelOrta.

However, it wasn’t all about the food! The Chefs’ Forum team was celebrating the launch of the latest Chefs’ Knowledge book: The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge, produced in association with NHS England.

Copies of the book were on display and many guest took the opportunity to dip into the colourfully designed pages created by in-house Red Cherry designer Lee Yarlett.

The chefs at work were:

• Bob Carruthers – WEST LONDON COLLEGE
• Exose Grant – MASTERCHEF: THE PROFESSIONALS FINALIST
• Mark Irish – BRAKES
• Matt Budden – HILTON BOURNEMOUTH
• Martyn Watkins – LAKSA SHACK
• Luciana Berry – TOP CHEF BRASIL WINNER

Isle of Man Food Producers’ Showcase

The Chefs’ Forum was delighted to support with hosting a special event at The Museum of London Docklands on the 26th March to showcase the best of Isle of Man food and drink. Hosted by Business Isle of Man, an Executive Agency with the Isle of Man Government’s Department for Enterprise, the event was in the same location where a series of Dragon’s Den was once filmed.

Minister for Enterprise, Tim Johnston, Member of the House of Keys, welcomed guests to the showcase where an array of canapés, cocktails and Manx food and drink producers awaited. The Chefs’ Forum invited global chefs, suppliers and industry influencers to the evening party which was a great success. Of special mention is the Island’s unique status as the world’s only entire nation biosphere and how the producers from the Island pledge to support and preserve this unique status.

Tim Johnston MHK said:

‘The Evening Showcase provided a great platform for Manx food and drink exporters. We were extremely pleased to welcome so many notable guests to our event and the level of interest in the Isle of Man and Manx produce was both heartening and motivational for the businesses involved.’

On display in the form of exquisite eats were the famous Manx Queen scallops. These were both pan-fried and served as a ceviche.

Nick Pledger, Business Development Manager at Island Seafare said:

“It was great to come to London and showcase our seafood to a fantastic range of chefs and foodservice suppliers.  Our famous Manx Queen Scallops were beautifully pan-fried and were also served as a Ceviche.  Our Manx crab salad also proved extremely popular and we’re really excited about forging a supply chain to top chefs across London and beyond.”

Other highlights created by top tier event caterer, Bovingdons Catering, were the small plates served, including a cheese soufflé with cheese from The Isle of Man Creamery. The Biosphere burger and lamb bon bons from the award winning Isle of Man Meats, famous Manx Queenie scallops served two ways – Pan-fried and Ceviche, as well as a crab salad from Island Seafare. Cocktails were mixed to great acclaim from gin and rum supplied by The Fynoderee Distillery and Outlier Distilling Company. Beer was from Okell’s Brewery, including recent award-winning alcohol free pale ale, Zero and salt from Isle of Man Salt Co.

Isle of Man Salt Co spokesperson, Helen Crosbie said:

Helen Crosbie

“Truly honoured to have been part of this event hosted by Business Isle of Man. It was an evening full of positive conversations and wonderful food showcasing the Isle of Man’s incredible food and drink producers. It was great to have the chance to chat all things export and business development with everyone in the beautiful Museum of London Docklands/Dragon’s Den studio.”

An exquisite Isle of Man Creamery cheese board and Luxury Manx Ice creams from Davison’s completed the evening’s delicious menu.

MasterChef: The Professionals Finalist, Exose Grant said:

“The Manx Queenies were outstanding and paired well with the other ingredients, it was great to have the scallops served two ways to showcase their versatility. The lamb bon bon was tasty and had a great mouth feel, the souffle was light and fluffy and the burger was delicious. The crab salad was fresh and flavourful, I could’ve eaten more and more!”

On the menu:

• Island Seafare Manx Queenies served two ways
  • Panfried queen scallops with burnt cauliflower puree, toasted pinenuts and pea shoot cress
  • Ceviche
• Manx Lamb Bon Bon with pea puree, crispy kale, heritage carrot and Barolo jus
• Cheese Souffle mini double baked Isle of Man Creamery cheese soufflé and pomegranate salad
• BIOSPHERE BURGER Isle of Man biosphere beef sliders with gherkin, smoked cheddar and red pepper ketchup
• Premium Cheese Collection with all accoutrement: Isle of Man Creamery vintage, mature, cracked peppercorn and smoked oak cheese
• Manx Crab Salad (quenelle) with baby gem chiffonade and sourdough crostini, Mini Double baked cheese soufflé and pomegranate salad
• Davison’s Luxury Manx Ice cream served in mini cones

Spencer Jones, Head of Sales from Ritter Courivaud, a trained chef who cooked at Michelin level was also really really impressed with the produce, said:

“We’re always on the lookout for new and special producers to add to our range. The delicious and faultless canapés produced by the talented Bovingdons chefs really showcased the Manx producers in the way they deserved. The crab salad for me was a true star of the show with the fresh scallop dishes and mini beef slider coming so close, that I couldn’t possibly pick a favourite. My Director of Food, Wayne Haukman and I were also blown away by the cheeses from the Isles of Man Creamery and will definitely be continuing discussions re: supply- Huge congratulations on a fantastic event to all concerned.”

Manx Cocktails served by award-winning Manx mixologist Drew Fleming from Extra Fancy

• Gorse Reviver – Fynoderee Manx Spring Gin, gorse flower triple sec, Lillet Blanc, lemon verbena and lemon

• Manx Daiquiri – Outlier Hoolie Manx White Rum, Overproof Rum, lime and sugar

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said:

“Because of our unique reach into global chef networks we were able to invite a true cross-section of culinary artists and this worked really well. Everyone enjoyed the range of ingredients and tastes that the Isle of Man has to offer and it was clear that kitchens across London and the UK will benefit from including them in future menus.”

Luciana Berry, Top Chef Brasil Winner, said:

It was real pleasure to be at the Isle of Man showcase, I discovered a new world of ingredients. Their rum was something very spectacular, used to make Manx Daiquiri. Absolutely stunning! The pan fried scallops served with the cauliflower puree was very smooth and delicate – A very elegant and delicious way to start. The crab salad was so fresh, I couldn’t stop eating it. It paired very well with the Gorse Reviver cocktail made with their gin and triple sec. Very well balanced.

I love seafood and to have this amazing and fresh seafood was incredible. Also the cheese was incredible. I love the smoked oak cheese with peppercorn.”

You Said Tomato And We Gave You A Show!

Rubies that shone like diamonds

The full taste explosion of the Ruby Red tomato was demonstrated on the BelOrta stand at the International Food & Drink Event last week at Excel.

Though the season is yet to start in the majority of Europe BelOrta’s object of delight – the exquisite Ruby Red – was showing all its promise.

Getting sweetness into a tomato out of season was previously impossible but with Belgian company BelOrta, the future is now.

The Ruby Red is a small gem of ripe tomato flesh with good sweetness and flavour and was a hit with the chefs on demo duty.

Over the three days of the show chefs Danny Burns, Luciana Berry, Bob Carruthers, Martyn Watkins, Exose Grant and Nick Vadis all enjoyed the Ruby Red and what it brought to their dishes.

Luciana Berry, Top Chef Brasil winner, said: “I loved the Ruby Red tomato. Where I come from in Brazil we have amazing tomatoes but these small little gems from BelOrta were fabulous in March. They had great colour, taste and texture and out of season were nothing short of amazing.”

Nick Vadis, Culinary Director for Compass UK and Chef Ambassador to The NHS was very impressed with the Ruby Red tomatoes from BelOrta, he said

“I chose to do a take on a caprese salad with burrata, basil oil and pickled onion slices, which proved a real hit.  It was also a great opportunity to tell the audience about the health benefits of tomatoes. The flavour of  BelOrta tomatoes is so delicious, that you don’t really have to do much to them – A lovely ingredient!”

Exose Grant was equally impressed with the Ruby Red tomatoes and opted to make an impromptu sauce with all of the offcuts from his demo and people were asking for the recipe card…unfortunately we didn’t have one as he made the beautifully spicy sauce on the spot in a culinary mega mix with all of the chefs cooking-up a delicious lunch.

Didier Lepoutre, Supervisor for Market Development and Expansion at BelOrta said: “A big thanks to Red Cherry and The Chefs’ Forum, the best brand activation company we’ve ever worked with – and that’s saying something. We take our tomatoes all over the world and Red Cherry really understood what we wanted to achieve at IFE and they certainly delivered.”

Out Now – The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge in Print & eBook

Prue Leith cut the ribbon on The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge on Monday 25th March at HRC at a special launch, showcasing recipes from the book, cooked in Rational ovens and served to key stakeholders.

The new book, the second in a series produced by The Chefs’ Forum in partnership with Prue Leith and the NHS Food Review, catalogues everything a chef working in healthcare needs to know about hospital catering. Featuring 100 dishes every hospital chef should know the book also contains interviews and features with leading NHS colleagues and topic experts across the entire field of hospital food from patients and staff to visitors.

Editor Chandos Elletson said: “Hospital food in England is constantly under the spotlight and this new book sweeps away many of the preconceptions about what it should be. Instead it focusses on the patients, the staff and the visitors to reveal the exciting new thinking that is changing the way hospitals feed everyone.”

Speaking at the event Prue Leith, who also wrote the foreword to the new book, said: “It’s an exciting step for our NHS catering teams, providing chefs the tools and confidence to lead change.”

Phil Shelley, Chair NHS Food Review and National Lead for Net Zero Food, NHS England, said: “For the first time a single book encapsulates everything you need to know about current hospital food thinking. It is an incredible resource for chefs and caterers to be able to dip into and learn from. Congratulations to the whole Chefs’ Forum team for producing something so valuable for everyone working in hospital kitchens.”

A word from the Russell Blake, Managing Director of Healthcare at Compass Group added “Food and nutrition are so important across the NHS – for staff, visitors and of course to support the health outcomes of patients. This book emphasises the critical role of good quality food within healthcare and it is fantastic to see the collaboration from experts across the sector. The book has extended our longstanding partnership with the NHS and I am glad we could support to help bring the idea to life.”

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “Over the course of a year we interviewed, visited and collated everything we could about hospital food and condensed it down to book form. Its purpose was always to highlight the individual voices of the real experts, chefs at the centre of food decision making, and that’s what we’ve achieved and their message comes through loud and clear. Interspersed through out the book are the 100 recipes every hospital chef should know. This is the first time standard recipes have been assembled together in one place.”

1000 copies have been printed and will be shared with the 220 Trusts across NHS England.

The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge is also available as a greatly-subsidised eBook on Kindle for just £5 to cover selling fees.

CLICK HERE to purchase your copy.

Photo credit: Carlos Farinha.

We Couldn’t Have Done it Without You!

The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge – Meet the sponsors as we get ready for the launch on Monday!

Our latest book – The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge – Will officially launch at HRC this Monday at a special event on the Rational stand. It is a celebration of the work that has been done by NHS England to revolutionise hospital food.

We will be laying-on a fabulous two course lunch for a panel of food and public sector media and senior stake holders, all with the common purpose of improving hospital menus for patients, staff and visitors.

There will also be a special courgette cake (adapted from the book) made by the super-talented Cake Girl London in the shape of the book as a massive thank you to our sponsors who have made it happen.

We would not have been able to complete the book without the generous support of these wonderful sponsors and we’d like to introduce them:

Medirest
A word from the Managing Director of Healthcare at Compass Group, Russell Blake:
“Food and nutrition are so important across the NHS – for staff, visitors and of course to support the health outcomes of patients. This book emphasises the critical role of good quality food within healthcare and it is fantastic to see the collaboration from experts across the sector. The book has extended our longstanding partnership with the NHS and I am glad we could support to help bring the idea to life.” 

NHS Supply Chain
Through the Supply Chain we were able to get the recipes that underpin the book. This has been crucial. Phil Shelley, Chair NHS Food Review and National Lead for Net Zero Food, NHS England, said: “For the very first time we have a collated collection of recipes in one place that can be accessed by every hospital catering team. I can’t tell you how important this is going to be.”

Rational
Revolutionising hospital catering. Rational equipment helps hospital teams to cook smarter for less and unleash creativity at the same time. With the arrival of the new iHexagon this will enable caterers to get even more out of the spaces where they operate.

Mitchell & Cooper
You don’t need to look very far in any kitchen to find a Mitchell & Cooper product and it’s no different in the NHS. Mitchell & Cooper design and build our products to last and to give chefs the reassurance they need that they are working with the best.

Kat Cooper, Project Director at Mitchell & Cooper said

“We are delighted and privileged to supply hospitals with our Bonzer can openers, portioners and stick blenders.  It was really important that we supported this book as the Healthcare sector makes up a huge segment of our customer base.”

Koppert Cress
Fresh Cress with a Nutritional Punch. Koppert Cress is a producer of innovative, living micro-vegetables, specialities and cresses. By growing in-house and harvesting late all the nutritional benefits can be maximised.

Brakes
Good food and drink are essential to wellbeing, both for patients and for staff working long hours in stressful conditions,” says Cathy Amos, Head of Customer Marketing for Care at Brakes.

“We fully endorse The Food Review and have products, guidance and support to help hospital catering teams offer a safe, efficient, high-quality service that meets everyone’s needs, 24/7.”

Bloomkubes
By using a Bloomkube in combination with the ground-breaking research done by Koppert Cress it is possible to grow micro greens that contain optimum nutrition. Koppert Cress seeds are planted in soil or a soil substitute such as peat moss and grown in high light conditions with low humidity and good air circulation.

Essential Cuisine
Understanding the im-portance of offering nutritionally balanced options whilst catering to various needs and dietary requirements. Essential cuisine are proud that their range is 100% gluten free, with products that are suited to vegans, vegetarians as well as meeting 2024 salt targets set by Public Health England.

The above sponsors collectively funded the design, production and printing of The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge, which will serve as a brilliant reference tool and learning resource for all NHS chefs and has wider appeal to anyone cooking or working in nutrition in the healthcare sector.

There are 1000 printed copies and it will also be available on Amazon’s Kindle as a greatly subsidised nominal fee of £5 to cover sellers fees.

We would like The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge to be available to all and would love to hear your feedback.

Why the Public Sector Need to Buy into British

We’ve just produced The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge, our latest book and have been working closely with senior leaders of the NHS to spread the word about a revolution in hospital catering. However, the work done inside hospitals to improve patient, staff and visitor food is only part of the job. Getting the right ingredients from British farms is another challenge.

As part of our ongoing work we spent the day at Hammonds End Farm in Hertfordshire on Tuesday with farmer Stuart Roberts and a high-level selection of leaders from catering companies, the public sector and large-scale producers learning about how important it is to understand how British farming works.

The aim of the day, organised by Alexia Robinson, Director of Love British Food, was an on-farm working discussion on how public sector providers can work together with farmers and food producers to achieve robust supply chains of nutritious food.

Alexia said

“It is so wonderful to see so many organisations from the Public Sector represented here today and it is so kind of Stuart to host this fabulous meeting of minds.  When I created Love British Food, I would never have dreamt that it would become a Social Enterprise and grow to the extent it has today. There are real opportunities for British farmers to supply hospitals, schools and universities and today is all about helping suppliers to the public sector to facilitate this.”

The Chefs’ Forum has also just become a stakeholder partner of Love British Food, so when we were asked to support with media production on the day, we were delighted to help out.

“Love British Food has led the way for a long time in promoting British food and farming to the public sector. I am delighted to host their public sector influencers event on my farm,” said host Stuart Roberts. “I am looking forward to working with them to share the true societal and environment value of buying British; and lead farmers to understand the commercial opportunity of supplying schools, hospitals and other institutions.”

Other aims were to enhance understanding of exactly how farmers can supply the public sector and to promote the public sector as a customer to encourage more farmers to invest in supplying it. It was also a great opportunity to explain to public sector caterers why buying from British farmers will help them meet their sustainability and net zero targets and deliver the nutritious food they need.

Phil Shelley, Chair NHS Food Review and National Lead for Net Zero Food, NHS England, said:

“This is the first time that public sector leaders, providers, suppliers and farmers have gathered together to discuss the supply chain. Momentum is building as we in the public sector want to buy more British food. What better place to do this than on a farm!”

What was clear from the day was how both sides want to meet in the middle and how important it is that they do. Tim Radcliffe, Net Zero Food Programme Manager, NHS England and Director Love British Food, said:

“Our aim is that all NHS catering teams visit a farm, like this one, over the next two years.”

The problem both sides face is how to achieve a working relationship where each side benefits. Farmers need the reassurance that what they grow will sell and caterers, suppliers and the public sector need to recognise that supporting farmers comes at a cost.

Standing in a field with a very strong group of attendees from every sector of the industry together made a strong visual. If it starts a new era of supporting farmers and buying British then it will be the beginning of a real revolution in pubic sector food.

For more information on Love British Food and British Food Fortnight, visit www.lovebritishfood.co.uk

Photography and film by Carlos Farinha.

Why The ‘Entente Cordiale’ is Still So Special

‘Entente Cordiale’ is a friendly culinary competition that celebrates the close links between France and the UK. It was founded by the late Michel Bourdin who was for so long the Chef des Cuisines at The Connaught Hotel.

Now entering its 20th year, this year’s event was held at The University of West London on 20th March and presided over by chef lecturer Michael Coaker. The Chefs’ Forum was there to cover the event and it proved to be a very special night.

“This competition is special as it provides a unique experience for our students,” Coaker told The Chefs Forum. “It’s an opportunity for exchange and to enhance cultural, culinary and educational knowledge. What I love about it is that students pair up with their counterparts rather than compete against them. It is only a competition in a very narrow sense.”

“I was impressed with the camaraderie between the students,” said Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum. “The idea of working together rather than against each other was fascinating. The English chefs liked working on the main courses but the French really shone in the desserts.”

This year’s pairings were:

• University of West London – Yun Ming Yee and Lycée Jeanne et Paul Augier Nice – Caroline Giannini
• Bournemouth and Poole College – Elvis Farah and Lycée Francis de Croisset Grasse – Julien Blein
• Est Kent College –   Alby Pieper and Lycée Francis de Croisset Grasse – Lea Enargelico
• Westminster Kingsway College – Sude Hancher and Lycée Jeanne et Paul Augier– Nice – Alexia Provenza

The four pairs of chefs each had to prepare a lemon sole paupiette with mariniere sauce and then an interpretation of a fermented, ‘dough-based’ dessert.

Judges included Michel Escoffier (Great Grandson of August), Steve Munkley (Vice President, Craft Guild of Chefs), Franciane Tartari (Executive Pastry Chef, 1 Hotel Mayfair), Gilles Quillot (Executive Chef, French Embassy), Mark Flanagan (The Royal Chef), Daniel Ayton (President Disciples of Escoffier UK), and James Golding (TV Chefs and Fellow of Royal Academy of Culinary Arts)

Lecturers supporting students on the day were Tom Eagerton (Westminster Kingsway College), Francois-Xavier Michaud (Lycée Jeanne et Paul Augier, Nice) and Jean-Michel Tonino, Lycée Francis de Croisset Grasse.

Each team were presented with a gold medal and prizes included:

• Set of Matfer Bourgeat cooking pans
• Set of engraved knives
• A UWL selection bag
• A selection of goodies from Disciples of Escoffier
• A Craft Guild of Chefs cookery book

Finalists Announced for Student Pastry Chef of the Year 2024

Eight top student pastry chefs have made it through to this year’s Student Pastry Chef of the Year finals. All the action will take place on 14th May at West London College.

The finals are all about precision with the students preparing 12 identical mono portions of the dessert they submitted plus 2 entremets.

Head of the 14 judges, Franciane Tartari, Executive Pastry Chef at 1 Hotel Mayfair, said:

“Every year the students surprise me even more. The competitors are showing not only skills, but passion and dedication for this beautiful profession. Some are nervous but they shouldn’t be. Nerves are good. Do not overestimate the competition or underestimate yourself. You are better than you think you are and the road to success is always under construction!”

The finalists are:

• Cecile Youngs – West Suffolk College
• Gareth Simpson Rogers – Coleg Y Cymoedd
• Jazmin Williams – NPTC Group
• Khushboo Phore – London South Bank University
• Matthew Oldknow – Leicester College
• Penelope Garside – York College
• Serah Morgan-Page – NPTC Group
• Tiana Brough – Leicester College

Meet the judges:

• Franciane Tartari (Head Judge) – Executive Pastry Chef at 1 Hotel Mayfair
• Michael Kwan – Executive Pastry Chef at The Dorchester and UK Pastry Team
• Biju Joshwa – Executive Pastry Chef at Sheraton Grand Park Lane
• Mauro Di Lieto – Executive Pastry Chef at The Landmark London & Bake Off: The Professionals Winner 2023
• Enrico Carloni – Head Pastry Chef at The Peninsula
• Daniel Pearse – Executive Pastry Chef at Rhubarb
• Michael D’Angelo – Executive Pastry Chef at Kensington Roof Garden
• Bobby Singer – Executive Pastry Chef at Duck & Waffle and Sushi Samba
• Nelson Sa – Executive Pastry Chef at Brown’s Hotel
• Thibault Hauchard – Executive Pastry Chef at Claridge’s
• Cherish Finden – International Pastry Consultant /Bake Off: The Professionals Judge
• Benoit Blin – Executive Pastry Chef at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons/Bake Off: The Professionals Judge
• Ross Sneddon – Executive Pastry Chef at The Balmoral, Edinburgh
• Mohan Boddula – Group Executive Pastry Chef at Sexy Fish

Meet the sponsors:

Valrhona
Beloved of pastry chefs all over the world, Valrhona is the pinnacle of chocolate from start to finish. Whether it’s dark or light, sweet or bitter Valrhona covers every base with exquisite detail. Some of the chocolate has become legendary in its own right. When it was launched in 1986 Guanaja took the pastry world by storm and is still one of the bright lights of the Valrhona range.

Bragard
A Bragard chefs jacket is a statement, not just of who you are as a chef but also how seriously you take the job. The tailoring is precise and the materials are best in class. When you put these things together you get Bragard but there’s so much more to the range now than just chefs whites.

Matfer Bourgeat
In 1814 in Paris the founder of Matfer Bourgeat, Charles Trottier, began to make tin and copper moulds for pastries. Ever since Matfer Bourgeat have been at the forefront of pastry innovation from saucepans to knives to moulds and much more.

Andros Chef
The closer to the source the better. That’s the maxim of Andros Chef and when it comes to sourcing fruit purees that’s exactly what you want. Andros Chef are engaged in a unique programme to set up processing facilities in the heart of fruit-producing areas and work with fresh fruit instead of frozen. The results speak for themselves.

Wedgwood
From founder Josiah Wedgwood right down to the present day the Wedgwood brand has stood for quality, excellence, beauty and function. Everything made by Wedgwood not only looks perfect but handles perfectly. With Wedgwood you get the perfect canvas to express your ideas and innovation.

MCS Technical Products
Established in 1997 to serve the foodservice market, MCS has built an enviable reputation for top quality equipment supported by great service. Major brands include Accutemp ovens, Cooktek induction, Cooper Atkins thermometers, Magicvac, Dolphin chafind dishes, FlashGRILL griddles and Klima ageing cabinets.

UNOX
Unox is continuous improvement. Unox commercial combi ovens are perfect for gastronomy and bakery. Vacuum cooking, steam cooking, drying, gratinating, browning, roasting at low and high temperatures, braising, frying, regenerating, not to mention the world of pastry and bakery.

Sosa
One of the world’s leading manufacturers and distributors of premium ingredients for pastry-making and gastronomy. Sosa’s goal is to satisfy the needs of all cooking enthusiasts and make their dreams come true. The four fundamental principles of contemporary cooking are more texture, more flavour, less fat and less sugar. With Sosa you’ll achieve all four.

First Choice Produce
First Choice champion artisanal produce and connect exceptional local producers and suppliers with restaurants across the UK. The ultimate mission is to be the perfect partner for the entire catering sector – including Michelin star and fine dining restaurants alongside more casual dining and event establishments. First Choice are excited to bring new flavours and ingredients to the tables of British restaurants.

All chefs are welcome to attend the final at West London College on Tuesday 14th May – Please email brogen@redcherry.uk.com to be added to the guest list.

Official! Chefs’ Forum Academies Deliver Higher Grades

In a wide-ranging endorsement of The Chefs’ Forum Academy at South & City College Birmingham the Head of Curriculum Adam Porter said the impact has been massive. After two terms of working with The Chefs’ Forum since opening the Academy in September the college is delighted with the way things are going and has seen significant results.

“The academy has had a massive impact on the development of our students technical and wider skills,” Porter said. “The masterclasses, menu development days, business market challenges and trips have supported our students.

“The impact has been massive and students have developed the skills, attitudes and behaviours that are valued by employers and we have seen an increase of higher grades achieved by a student in craft assessments.”

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “We were at South & City College Birmingham on Monday and it was easy to see how engaged the students were in what we were doing. They were involved in a menu development session for Aussie Beef & Lamb and got a special soufflé masterclass at the same time from Saucery chef Dirk de Cuyper.

“I was bowled over by the comments from Adam Porter. We have put so much effort into our masterclasses and industry education and to see that it is having a high impact on both grades and employability is absolutely brilliant. College students need to get as much industry experience as they can before they enter the work place and having a Chefs’ Forum Academy as an additional booster can really make a difference.”

Dirk delivering a fantastic masterclass with the students – Driving improved grades and enriching the curriculum – Dirk cooked a soufflé in a masterclass at SCCB – While our Aussie beef event was going on – what a rockstar?!

Adam Porter, Head of Curriculum at South & City College Birmingham said:

“The Chefs’ Forum have had a massive impact on the development of our students technical and wider skills. The masterclasses, menu development days, business market challenges and trips and with you and your chefs have supported our students. The impact has been massive, where students have developed skills, attitudes and behaviours that are valued by employers and have seen an increase of higher grades achieved by a student in craft assessments.”

Photography by Carlos Farinha.