Classically Brilliant!

Take six top chefs! And some world-class ingredients.

It isn’t often that you get to experience Australian and Japanese wagyu beef, sustainable caviar, exquisite seafood, seasonal fruit and vegetables, inimitable chocolate and hand-picked wines in one brilliant event.

So, the South West Showcase of leading produce and ingredients supplier, Classic Fine Foods, on Monday 18th September is a MUST for every West Country chef’s diary. It’s being held at Courtyard by Marriott in Exeter and runs from 10:30am-5:00pm and The Chefs’ Forum will be organising the chef demonstration stage, and what an excellent line-up lies in wait.

As well as outstanding ingredients there are also six, internationally-acclaimed chefs doing demos and masterclasses and the event will see the return of the hugely-popular and highly competitive/comical omelette challenge.

The six chefs are:

• Chris McClurg – Paul Ainsworth at No.6
• Jordan Denning – Lympstone Manor
• Scott Paton & John Brimicombe – Àclèaf at Boringdon Hall
• Richard Hunt – Courtyard by Marriot
• Darryl Collins – Mullion Cove Hotel
• Denis Drame MCA – Classic Fine Foods

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs Forum, said: “This will be a fantastic event that will celebrate Classic Fine Foods launching their regional hub in the Southwest and we are really excited to be running the demo stage and promoting such a great collection of ingredients and producers all under one roof. Make sure you come and see us!”

Krishna Quarrell from Classic Fine Foods said “As National Sales Manager, I am particularly excited to announce the next phase in our national expansion and the opening of our new hub in Exeter, which will service Devon and Cornwall, locations very close to my heart. I have grown up and live in the Southwest and my love for the hospitality and food industry was sparked by my visits to hotels and restaurants across the area.”

Register to attend please CLICK HERE

Taste the Difference

Tasting menus divide opinion but their progress is undeniable. They are here to stay and represent an opportunity for chefs to show off their skills and range. They also allow kitchens to control waste and guarantee a set income. Are we seeing the death of a la carte? Probably.

Once upon a time the guest chose. The customer was always right. How things have changed. Today the chef is right and the guests… well, the guests can either have the tasting menu or find somewhere else.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Once thing is certain: it’s good for chefs. They get to create a range of dishes, often experimental, that plays to their strengths.

Our esteemed Director Catherine Farinha and National Business Manager Alexandra Duncan had a tasting menu experience at South Place Hotel in London at The Angler restaurant run by executive chef Gary Foulkes.

“It was an incredible experience,” Catherine Farinha explained afterwards. “We were celebrating Alex’s birthday and this was a brilliant way of doing it. I never thought it would end but each course kept getting better and it was all a brilliant surprise even though we had seen the menu. I love this way of dining.” (See below for the menu Catherine & Alex enjoyed).

The emphasis here is on experience. A tasting menu takes much longer to serve but enables the diner to experience very different tastes and combinations. This level of experience simply cannot be replicated by an a la carte menu.

However, there will always be those that hanker after the a la carte.

“You don’t go to a steak restaurant for a tasting menu,” said Chefs’ Forum editor Chandos Elletson. “You go for a steak. It’s the same with pizza or fried chicken. The tasting menu works in a narrow band of restaurants where the skill of the chef is focussed on small, exquisite, courses. It originated in Japan with Kaiseki and has been expanded and refined in the UK.”

Some restaurants are now tasting menu only. Two notable examples are Restaurant Sat Bains and Gareth Ward’s Ynyshir which recently won best restaurant in the UK.

“Diners have a choice now,” Elletson continued. “They can go for tasting for a special occasion or go to a restaurant to enjoy a specific style. The days of the multi-format a la carte are numbered.”

The tasting menu at The Angler by Gary Foulkes

Aged Comté, goat’s curd, pea & black garlic gougère

Angler stout bread, caramelised yeast & malt butter

*******

Crispy Iberian pig’s head, BBQ apple, smoked bacon & tarragon

Montgomery cheddar, caramelised onion & wild garlic tart

Foie Gras Cornetto, new season’s cherry & pistachio

Prawn & squid ink cracker, smoked cod’s roe & Espelette pepper

*******

Sea Bass Tartare – Oyster cream, green apple, shiso

Native Lobster – Gazpacho dressing, Has avocado, lobster & oscietra caviar tart

Phil Howard’s Langoustine Dish – Parmesan gnocchi, truffle purée, potato & truffle emulsion

Cornish Monkfish – Carrots, English peas, Citrus butter sauce

Roast Newlyn Cod – Line caught squid, Scottish girolles, Alsace bacon

Raspberries – Perilla leaf, Greek yoghurt, “100’s & 1000’s”

Black Provence Fig “1000 flower” honey, mascarpone, fig leaf

or

Black Forest, English cherries, Amarena, Kirsch cream

****

Strawberry bon bon

Banana & miso caramel

Coconut and chocolate chouquette

Ormond Goes from Bath College to Mayfair

Former Bath College student, and Chefs’ Forum favourite, George Ormond has been promoted from Sous Chef to Head Chef at Angela Hartnett’s Murano restaurant in Mayfair, London.

His new position starts on the 18th of September which also coincides with a post-refurb relaunch of the restaurant. Ormond takes over from Emily Brightman.

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: ”It’s so lovely to see real career progression. We first met George at Bath College where we held a lunch around a decade ago and we visited Murano this time last year and were really impressed. We really are so very pleased for him and that The Chefs’ Forum played such an important part in his development as a chef.”

Bridget Halford from Bath College said: “George was always a committed conscientious student who gave 110%, always striving to improve and learn new things. During his 3 years in college he was always keen to take on as many additional activities as possible such as supporting Chefs’ Forum events and he also raised money for Hospitality Action South West by cycling the 100 mile route around the Cotswolds. I’m very proud of him and what he has achieved.”

George Ormond is delighted to have been promoted to Head Chef at Murano, he said

“I’m incredibly excited to get going in the new role, it’s an honour to lead such a talented group of chefs, working with the best produce available. Learning from and working with Angela is incredible and I’m so grateful for all the guidance and support she’s given me so far.”

After leaving Bath College George Ormond worked as a private chalet chef before joining Coast Saundersfoot and then Murano – This is a brilliant story of career progression and we are delighted to see such a promising young student go on to work in one of London’s most prolific restaurants under a world-renowned chef.

Bradford College Lines-up the Stars at The Chefs’ Forum Academy

We are excited to share UK hospitality business BaxterStorey will be bringing a ‘Careers in Contract Catering’ focus session to our schedule of curriculum enrichment at Bradford College. At a date to be agreed, BaxterStorey will hold a special careers day next term, which will give students an opportunity to learn about working at locations across the North of England including Bradford University and Marks & Spencer Distribution Centre, also based in Bradford.

Andy Aston, head of wellness and nutrition at BaxterStorey said: “Hospitality is an incredibly diverse, exciting industry to work in and we’re looking forward to showcasing the opportunities with students. Engaging with the local community is important to us, and this partnership with The Chefs’ Forum is one way we’re proud to able to do this”.

“It’s great to welcome BaxterStorey to the growing number of companies we are helping in the chef education sector,” said Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum. “BaxterStorey are a significant chef employer in the North and having a careers event for the students will be very valuable and enhances the work the chefs are doing in their masterclasses.”

Students studying catering are already looking forward to a mouth-watering series of masterclasses that have been lined up for 2023/24. The series kicks-off in October with a bread masterclass by artisan baker Sandor Bagameri who took the podium at the World Bread Awards in 2022.

In November chef Lloyd Hesom from United Chefs Limited brings his skills to a special fish masterclass. Hesom has worked at all levels across the country but really got to understand fish in a different way when working as a head chef in Madrid.

In December students will get to focus on lamb with Jack Holden – a skilled artisan butcher based at Fodder Farmshop in Harrogate. And then in February 2024 it’s the turn of Radha Ru, a local Bradforian, who reached the final of Masterchef in 2022. Radha will give a vegetarian masterclass based on her popular Instagram channel @thespicyflexitarian.

Following on will be a name familiar to many Chefs’ Forum Academies: Exose Grant. The popular former MasterChef :The Professionals finalist will give a past shapes and pasts masterclass in March 2024.

Finally, Kevin Kindland, an experienced freelance chef currently working in Hotel du Vin in York will give a Fine Dining masterclass in May 2024 to round off the year.

Speaking about the series of masterclasses at Bradford Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs Forum, said: “I’m full of praise for Bradford College. It’s really great for the students and for local schools to be able to see details of upcoming masterclasses and who is going to be visiting the college to teach. On top of an already excellent curriculum The Chefs’ Forum Academy brings in top local chefs to enhance the education. This coming academic year is going to be really exciting and e can’t wait to see how our chefs get on when they bring in their specialist knowledge to Bradford College.”

To see the fantastic line-up and read more about the chefs going into the college, visit the college website: HERE 

News at Eleven – Salami Steals the Show

Every day of the Game Fair we served up ‘Elevenses’ with a twist; The finest Fennel salami from Somerset Charcuterie wrapped round strips of the finest Le Gruyère cheese and washed down with a Dutch Barn vodka cocktail. This combination proved popular with guests to the Le Gruyère stage, saying it would make a classic shoot day snack. To say it was a hit would be an understatement!

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “It was a winner and very popular with visitors and chefs alike. It’s just what you need on a shoot day – something easy to snack on and a warming cocktail. Just the job for those winter mornings! They also looked great layer out on the special boards provided by Richkins Woodcraft.”

Andy & James had been hobby charcutiers for several years. Andy grew up on a pig farm and James is a member of a small village cooperative of 6 families who raise livestock. Their daughters become best friends at the local school and it wasn’t long before they discovered that they shared passion for curing meats and making salami. Over a pint of cider at a local lawn-mower race (this is Somerset!), the idea for a quality British Charcuterie business was conceived. Both of them have run their own food businesses for several years and could see an opportunity to develop a range of products that followed traditional Spanish, French and Italian methods but were adapted to the British market and capitalised on the rich food culture of the Southwest.

Within 6 months the first products were ready to try on family and friends and, with some encouraging feedback, the first farmers markets were booked to test the product on the general public. The buzz around the stall at the first market was electric and the decision was made. Somerset Charcuterie was born.

Now in their 8th year the team are going through up to two tonnes of pork a week along with local wild venison from our favourite, Curtis Pitts Deer Services, local free-range duck, grass fed beef and lamb. Everything is handmade now, and will remain that way in order to preserve the artisan texture, flavours and look.. Everything is handmade now, and will remain that way in order to preserve the artisan texture, flavours and look. They moved into their new production unit on the farm a couple of years ago but are now already looking to expand in order to meet the growing demand.

“We are committed to producing the best product with the best of Somerset ingredients wherever we can. We are now regularly in several markets across Somerset and Bristol, at festivals around the country, in pubs, restaurants and delis. It has been a fantastic success story so far and we are very lucky to have a loyal fan base to whom we are very grateful. We are looking forward to developing new and exciting products, meeting like-minded meat lovers and expanding our business further afield. If you are interested in stocking our product or would like to work with a great team in a fledgling artisan food business, please get in touch.”

You can see the full range of salami, charcuterie and cured meats here.

Canapés? It’s All About Ready, Set, Fill with Pidy

We discovered just how good the Pidy canapé range is at this year’s Game Fair where we hosted a party for TV’s Paul Whitehouse. Filled with smoked trout, sour cream, horseradish and watercress the Pidy canapé cone came into its own.

With the Pidy canapé range all you have to do is think about what fillings and toppings you want to present to your guests. The hard work of pastry has already been done. Whether you’re thinking vol au vent, tartlet, choux bun, savoury or sweet – Pidy has you covered.

And we’re not just talking about any pastry. This is Pidy pastry which has been delighting gourmets and gourmands for decades – since 1967, in fact.

Every piece of the canapé range is technically innovative, hugely creative and designed with the chef in mind. That means you can have confidence that whatever you serve will have that same luxurious richness for which Pidy is famous.

The Game Fair party in the Fishing Village was overseen by Michelin-starred chef Hywel Griffith from The Beach House in Oxwich alongside students from West London College. The Pidy cones were presented on special wooden boards from Richkins Woodcraft had special holes drilled in.

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “Working with the Pidy canapé range was a dream for us. The cones were simple to fill and tasted delicious. Served alongside a very good Cava Brut from Tanners Wine everyone enjoyed the party and the food.”

Welcome to The Academy Family South & City College Birmingham!

We have a new member of The Chefs’ Forum Academy club! We are very pleased to announce that South & City College Birmingham has joined us.

As a new member of our Academy roster, catering students at South & City College Birmingham can look forward to masterclasses from top chefs, participation at industry events and lunches and on-the-job training at some of the best restaurants and kitchens in the Midlands region.

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “We’re really chuffed to be in South & City College Birmingham is such a great college. We can’t wait to get started and we’ve got a strong list of local chefs who are ready to go with masterclasses. September’s calendar already looks top notch with Mark Walsh from Hogarths delivering a masterclass on game butchery plus the creation of a modern game dish.”

Adam Porter, Head of School for Hospitality & Catering, Hairdressing and Barbering from South & City College Birmingham said: “We are very excited to have our own Chefs’ Forum Academy. We’ve seen the work Catherine and the team have done across the UK and it’s very impressive. One of the clinching factors for us is the amount of extra reach into the industry our students will have. The experience they will get from masterclasses and events is going to be a key part of their development.”

The college will also be hosting a Taster Day this September to encourage local school students to take up hospitality as their chosen career.

It will feature:

• Canapé & mocktail reception
• Exose Grant – MasterChef: The Professionals Finalist 2019 and Head Chef at Ikaro – Pasta making demo and cookery masterclass
• Ross Pike – Executive Chef at Oakman Inns – An Oakman Inns classic dish
• Munayam Khan – Chef Patron at Raja Monkey Making the perfect samosa
• Angelina Adamo – Chef Patron at Tutto Apposto & The Circle Lounge at The Hippodrome
• Tom Everard-Fairburn – Pastry Chef at Two Brothers Bakery

Cooking is not the only skill that students will be learning. In January 2024 students will be taking part in a business study at Birmingham Wholesale Market.

Munayam Khan, owner of Raja Monkey restaurant, will accompany students to the market and help them select seasonal produce to a budget of £25 per pair.

They then return to college to create a two-course meal to cook (supervised by Munayam and Chef Lecturers) and serve to the teaching staff in the college restaurant at lunchtime.

The pair who make the most profit and sell the most of their menu win a meal for two with their Chef Lecturer at one of the Lasan Group restaurants.

Le Gruyère was The World-Award-Winning Star of this Year’s Game Fair

This year, we teamed-up with the famous Swiss cheese to reveal hidden twists to old classics that take game to a new level. Le Gruyère stand this year hosted Michelin-starred chef Hywel Griffith and a team of students from West London College with Chef Lecturer, Bob Carruthers, Cindy Challoner, Chef Lecturer at Coleg Gwent, Ashleigh Ferrand, Head Chef at The Kingham Plough and Martyn Watkins of Laksa Shack in Cardiff. There were four demonstrations each day of The Game Fair and we were delighted with the magnificent Le Gruyère stage, built and managed by The Demo Kitchen Company.

To add a touch of ‘shooty class’ to the line-up, we also offered ‘Elevenses’ each day at 11am, consisting of delicious fennel salami from Somerset Charcuterie, accompanied by a delicious Dutch Barn Vodka cocktail – A very traditional snack on shoot days.

All demos had the benefit of delicious Koppert Cress varieties being grown live in the marquee in a Bloomkube or hydroponic cube, so the recipes could be enhanced with tasty and nutritious microgreens and microherbs paired to each dish by the chefs.

Ashleigh Ferrand, selected Koppert’s Tahoon cress to go with her French onion soup, pulled venison and Le Gruyère crouton – This is a timeless French classic with a twist. Ashleigh said

“The richness of the Gruyère cheese complimented the soup without overpowering and the cress added a subtle flavour and a bight vibrancy to the dish to cut through and lighten-up the dish.  I love Le Gruyére because it’s a versatile cheese that can be baked into a crisp, melted into a dish, such as risotto and used as a garnish on top as an alternative to parmesan, especially the Reserve Le Gruyère, which is an absolute show-stopper in my opinion.”

It was great to be able to educate the audience on brilliant and delicious ways to cook with the game that they shoot – Our top quality game featured in the demos was kindly sponsored by Lincolnshire Game.

One lady said that the partridge her husband shoots gives her the ‘ick factor’ and so she usually ends up throwing them away – The audience gasped in amazement, as the whole purpose of our line-up of game cookery demos was to promote the eating of wild game meat.

By the end of the demo by Cindy Challoner, she had not only tried the Stuffed Partridge Ballotine with Caramelised Pears and loved it, she then asked if there was some sort of game cookery retreat she could embark upon with The Chefs’ Forum to learn how to make the most of the game shot by her family – Now that’s food for thought and a great idea to take further.

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum and Publisher of The Great Game Guide and The Welsh Game Guide, said:

“We decided to make the demos simple this year and easy to recreate at home. We didn’t want everything to be too cheffy or complicated. We were also really excited to be given the opportunity to work alongside the brand activation team at Le Gruyère. It really is amazing how well it goes with game and all samples were snapped-up in seconds.  It was lovely to see the same faces come back throughout the weekend to see more demos from their favourite chefs.”

Dishes cooked on the demo stage are available on our recipe page CLICK HERE, by popular demand of the audience at the show (we’ve already received eager email enquiries to this effect), as well as the chefs who follow our event schedule.

In other areas of The Game Fair, top chefs and students, all representing The Chefs’ Forum joined the massive catering operation across VIPs, crew and volunteers.

MasterChef: The Professionals finalist, Exose Grant and West London College graduates, Jahmi and Laurie were also called upon to join the brigade and work in James Martin’s restaurant at the show, alongside the food hero himself to cater for hundreds of VIPs in the private enclosure – A brilliant opportunity to experience high-volume, high-end event catering.

Hywel Griffith and his team from The Beach House, Oxwich swooped in to cater a Michelin-starred and fizz reception in the fishing village with Celebrity Comedian/Fly Fishing expert, Paul Whitehouse.

The students ably helped his team to create and assemble a delicious menu, showcasing game and yes, even more delicious Le Gruyère!

The beautiful canapés comprised:

• Venison and Gruyère with barbequed pineapple
• Spicy partridge tacos with avocado and coriander
• Crispy pheasant with sriracha mayo and toasted sesame
• Smoked trout, sour cream, horseradish and watercress
• Lemon meringue tart
• Almond choux, mascarpone, orange and ginger

The chefs were all amazing and the food produced, out of this world and we can’t wait to do it all again next year!

London’s Raheem Morgan Wins National School Chef of The Year

Lewisham Chef Raheem Morgan has beaten off competition from around the UK to become the 2023 School Chef of The Year (SCOTY).

It’s his fourth time in the competition, with runner-up positions in both 2021 and 2022.

He cooked an Asian crispy fishcake with edamame bean and miso puree, served with a wasabi mayonnaise and crispy garnish. His dessert was a deconstructed lemon cheesecake with apple and basil gel, apple crisp, cherry compote and egg white meringue.

The dishes have been enjoyed by children at Torridon Primary School, Lewisham, where he has been the Unit Manager and Head Chef for two years.

He said: “I try to incorporate spices into the dishes and find that the children are open to trying them – and really enjoy them when they do. They see the teachers eating new flavours in the food I cook for them and do the same – they aren’t scared to try. I’m always trying to sneak veg into the main courses to add to the nutrition, but also to desserts too, like beetroot chocolate brownies!”

Before coming to school catering, completely by accident, Raheem worked with Tom Aikens, and held positions of commis, demi and chef de partie at Hotel Café Royale, Park Plaza Hotel and The Ivy, Sloane Square.

Looking for a new job after a year out, Raheem was sent details from Chartwells and despite not knowing anything about school catering, he applied and by the end of the interview, was convinced that it was the right move – and he hasn’t looked back.

The 29-year-old’s love of food started when he was around nine years old, cooking Jamaican food with his mum, before following it through school in food tech and into hotels.

Raheem won last year’s Grab ‘n’ Go at SCOTY – a challenge to create a healthy on the go snack. He made Loaded Quorn Corn Savoury Waffle – a spicy savoury waffle topped with avocado, tomato and crème fraiche inspired by a traditional Jamaican corn fritter.

He said: “It means the world to win – I’m on cloud 9! I’ve been used to coming second and third but this year it’s me who’s won and I’m so happy. I’ve put so much time and effort into it and so to win is not only great for me but for my brilliant team at school and Chartwells too. Both have supported me with the dish creation, tasting, giving feedback and stepping in while I had time away from school for the competition.

I want to thank my team at school, Chartwells who have been amazing but also LACA – I love everything they stand for and the work they are doing in the school catering sector is amazing and hugely important in changing the quality of school food but also the perception – there’s no chance of lumpy custard anymore!

The competition has helped me to grow so much and it will springboard me as it did last year when I won the Grab ‘n’ Go. After that, we held cookery workshops for the kids and they really enjoyed making the food and trying it all out.”

He plans to spend some of the £1000 winnings on taking his school team out to say thank you for their help.

Second place was Jennifer Brown, from Sarum Academy, Salisbury, Wiltshire, representing the South West region and James Noakes from Maidstone Grammar School, Maidstone, Kent, representing the South East region.

Head judge Louise Wagstaffe from Premier Foods, said: “It’s been a tough year to judge because we’ve seen amazing standards and very high level skills.

“We’ve seen a great use of ingredients on a tight budget and it’s been lovely to see so many different dishes created from the same ingredients from the Bisto brand, with each chef’s own inspiration and influences in their design. Lots of healthy fruit and vegetables have been used – a healthy plate is a part of the judging criteria.

These chefs have a massive influence on the food out children are eating and to see such great tasting food full of nutrition and innovation has been brilliant. There are some fantastic, scalable ideas here which we will be sharing with our schools.”

Sarah Robb, foodservice marketing manager at Premier Foods, added: “It’s so important to support the education catering industry which is what this competition is all about – showcasing the amazing talent in the industry – our chefs have been cooking amazing food. School meals are so important for children to eat and socialise together, but also to try different foods together.

School chefs have so much influence on the children they cook for to show them new food, give them the opportunity to try new flavours and really understand nutrition and healthy eating. The school catering industry has changed so much – the standard at SCOTY has well and truly shown that.”

The SCOTY competition aims to show the high quality of school meals and the contribution they make to the health and wellbeing of children.

The 11 finalists, who had competed at regional heats across the country, were judged on the use of Premier Foods products, working practices in the kitchen, creativity, appearance, taste and flavour. They had just 1h 30 minutes to create four portions of their two-course menu.

How I’m Coping with Inflation & Cost of Living

Tony Rodd, former Masterchef finalist and co-owner of Blackheath’s Copper and Ink restaurant spoke to our editor Chandos Elletson about dealing with inflationary pressures and the demands of customers who are fighting the cost-of-living battle on a daily basis.

“Here’s a recent example of the sort of thing I’m dealing every day,” Tony Rodd told me recently. “I buy gluten free breadcrumbs from a supplier and I pay COD, cash on delivery. 12 months ago my order cost £37. Today, I’ve just paid £51. That’s a nearly 40% increase in the cost of a non-essential ingredient. An ingredient that makes up part of a dish.

“Over the last 9 months every one of our suppliers has told us that they are having to put up their prices. Over the same period, we haven’t changed our prices at all. We can’t. Out customers won’t accept increases. They can’t afford them. So, where does that leave us? Something had to change.”

Tony Rodd’s challenge is the same one being faced by multiple small businesses up and down the country. Horrendous price increases across the board from energy to ingredients and staff costs. It’s a wonder that any restaurant can survive these inflationary increases.

“We’re still open, we’re still busy,” Rodd said. “It’s all down to a shift in the way we do business. We couldn’t carry on in the same way. We have to change, to adapt. In the end it was quite a simple choice.

“One thing we noticed was that our regulars were eating out less and drinking less so we changed with it. We went to a nine-item menu; 3 starters, 3 main courses and 3 desserts. We have a seven-course tasting menu. We are now running, cut leaner. We’re down £10-15k a year and our mortgage is going up later in the year. We’re not making money, but we are staying afloat and that’s all I can ask at the moment.

“We found that business remained popular on Friday and Saturday, but we were dead on Wednesdays and Thursdays. So, we shifted the weekend to tasting menu only because our regulars were ordering two a la carte courses and we were losing money.

“At first there was some resistance until I explained that they could come in on a Wednesday and Thursday and eat cheaper if they wanted. And that’s what happened. Now we are busy on the weekends with tasting menus, which are popular and busier during the week with a la carte which brings in much needed revenue. It’s working.

“None of this would have come about if I didn’t talk to my customers on a regular basis and found out how they were doing and how we could fit into their dining out plans. This conversation has helped them understand how we work and we have learned more about what they want and are prepared to pay for. This is crucial in today’s market.

“In lockdown I talked to our landlord every week on Zoom and over a period of months we found a way of working. I never missed a payment and in return we negotiated our lease down to something that we could afford. It has become a key relationship.

“I would urge every restaurant and chef to talk to suppliers and landlords as often as possible if you are struggling and also to you customers. Get to know them. Get to know what they want and what their limits are. Nothing can be taken for granted at this time. You have to fight for every customer but they will remain loyal to you, if you are loyal to them and they understand you are trying your best.”