Come on Now, Let’s Focus on Royal Greenland Fish & Shellfish Species!

Bringing a product to the UK hospitality market can be a tough assignment. A large part of the problem can be knowing what chefs and buyers are looking for, expecting and even how they perceive those needs.

This time it’s all about fish, fish chefs and what they think of top-quality Royal Greenland seafood species, which dishes they’re cooking with them, where they are buying fish…you get the general idea.

That’s where a bespoke Focus Day can help shape marketing, communications and trade advertising campaigns before they even begin.

Randall Jennings, Managing Director of Royal Greenland UK was delighted to host the event held at West London College, he said

“We’re using this as a great opportunity to get high quality seafood products into some great UK kitchens.  At Royal Greenland we pride ourselves on maintaining ocean to fork connection with every element of the supply chain; from our trawlers, to processing, distribution and most importantly our UK chefs who champion our fantastic produce in their menus.”

This is a great example of the way we are assisting with branding strategy and product development for Royal Greenland by utilising our huge chef network to achieve maximum awareness.

We don’t start with an advertising campaign. We start with gathering a focus group of expert chefs in the required market segment to harvest valuable market intel and insight and its very effective.

On the 24th May at West London College we held a special focus group where 25 top fish chefs got together to learn and discuss everything there is to know about Royal Greenland and the species of seafood they supply.

The purpose of the day is not solely to promote Royal Greenland. The purpose is for Royal Greenland to learn about how UK chefs perceive imported frozen seafood and how they use it in their kitchens.

To achieve this, we have to invite the right chefs and create an environment where they can learn and give feedback in a relaxed, but structured way. Our association with leading catering colleges and our Chefs’ Forum Academies are the perfect place for that.

Our specially selected group of chefs from leading seafood chains and upmarket restaurants will get together for a jam-packed day of activity including:

• Getting an understanding on how Chefs & Exec Chefs see/use seafood in their restaurant/chains and what’s important for them
• Engage in a soft introduction to Royal Greenland and seafood species portfolio
• Enjoy a short session on prawns
• Work on a qualitative (focus group) and quantitative data (questionnaire)

Utilise the day as an opportunity to train the current and next generation of UK chefs on the correct preparation methods to serve Royal Greenland fish and shellfish species through serving the culinary guests a fantastic buffet of lobster, crab, prawn, cod and halibut, all made and served by Royal Greenland Development Chef, Jan Zoutenbier, with the students at West London College.

If you are interested in taking part in one of our Focus Groups please let us know.

To book a focus group for your foodservice brand, talk to us! Contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com

Oodles of Pastry Talent on Display at West London College

Private Members Clubs Chefs’ Competition Time

Boodles Club took home the winners prize in the 2023 League of Club Chefs’ Town and Country Fine Foods Pastry Challenge Cup held at West London College on Tuesday.

17 year old Mia Tang beat Lorna Songhurst from White’s and Fern Lawrence from The Garrick Club to win an all-expenses trip to Felchin Chocolate in Switzerland plus money to spend. Two further chefs from the RAF Club and Bucks Club were finalists.

Jerome Dreux, Sales & Development Chef with Town and Country Fine Foods explained why the panel of judges went for Mia’s final flourish.

“The competition required preparing a classic Apple Charlotte and a dessert of choice using Felchlin chocolate. Mia’s dessert showed a lot of skills with some delightful chocolate tempering, was just the right size and would have been a perfect dish to serve in any setting.”

Chef Michael Dutnall, Executive Chef at The RAF Club, who organised the competition, said:

”The level of skill improves each year and this year was no exception.”

If you are interested in a course in hospitality and catering at West London College apply now: wlc.ac.uk/catering

You Heard it Here First – The Chefs’ Knowledge Audiobook – AVAILABLE NOW

In a first for the chefs’ profession The Chefs’ Knowledge has gone audio. We broke new ground with our first ever book for junior chefs and now we’ve gone one step further by releasing a new audio version that takes the project in a completely new direction.

The Chefs’ Knowledge Audiobook is now available to buy on Spotify and Google Play and soon to be many more!

Buy your copy now:

Google Play CLICK HERE
Spotify CLICK HERE

The Chefs’ Knowledge contains interviews, advice and expert knowledge as well as dramatised working professional recipes for the 100 dishes every chef should know. The new audio version is a collection of 100 scenes that brings the book to life, all acted out by 3rd years students from the Arden School of Theatre at UCEN Manchester.

Catherine Farinha, publisher of The Chefs’ Knowledge explained: “We wanted to do an audio version of The Chefs’ Knowledge for a number of reasons. Chiefly because dyslexia is widespread in kitchens and a lot of chefs, especially juniors, can be at a real disadvantage because of it. However, we didn’t want to just record recipes being read out. So, we came up with something new. Our editor, Chandos Elletson, used to work in Film and Television and he wrote a few test scenes that made the recipes into little dramas. We got these acted out by real actors and they came alive. And that became the format for the new audio version.”

Elletson told The Chefs’ Forum: “What we’ve done is very unusual. We took the 100 Dishes that Every Chef Should Know idea and turned it on it’s head. What you have in the audio version are 100 imaginary scenes where junior chefs learn about dishes on the menu of a fictitious hotel. One of the examples I wrote was a scene where two honeymooners wanted to know the recipe for the granola they enjoyed at breakfast. So the head chef goes to their table and explains it. It brings the recipe alive in a way that is relatable and that’s the secret of what we’ve done. We’re hoping this really resonates with listeners who can learn by enjoying some dramatic scenes rather than listening to dry recipes.”

The Chefs’ Knowledge Audio Book is available on all major audiobook platforms at £14.99.

You can also purchase the hard copy of The Chefs’ Knowledge – The Modern Culinary Repertoire HERE.

Chef Tom Green Talks Chef Life and Mental Health at South Devon College

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month and we have begun a campaign to educate the chefs of the future, that it is paramount they get their heads in the right place early in their career. Without a proper mental foundation the life of a chef is hard and tough. With the right mindset the challenges of chef life are easy to spot and simple to navigate.

There was a time in the not too distant past when chefs welcomed the rigour of the job and took pride in the exhaustion and mental toll that came with the badge of being a head chef. Those days are over and a lot of the chefs who went on that journey are either gone from the industry or regret it. Why?

The tough guy image of burnt-out chefs was a familiar sight from the 1990’s onwards but as mental health professionals know only too well you can only keep it up for so long before something cracks. Chef Tom Green knows all about it. He’d been there, bought the T shirt and worn it.

So, how should you approach being a chef when you are just starting out?

Tom Green visited a group of 30 students at South Devon College this week to deliver a guest lecture on his career to date and share with them some ‘lived experience’ mental health tick boxes to be aware of.

Professional kitchens are stressful, fast paced, hot and noisy. It’s good to know that in advance so you know how to prepare. Kitchens are also places full of egos and an environment that can be anxiety provoking, physically and mentally demanding and come with unsociable hours.

Further, the life of a chef messes with your work life balance and can have a serious effect on self-esteem. This is due to having to be as good as your team all the time. Add in the aspects of failure, poor social media reviews and critical press and you’ve got the makings of a downward spiral into substance and alcohol misuse.

Enough to put you off? It’s not the end of the world. Identifying the kitchen and the chefs you want to work with and respect is the first part of the equation of finding lasting jab satisfaction.

Here’s Chef Tom Green’s checklist for success:

• Find a place you enjoy working that aligns with your own values
• Eat properly
• Drink plenty of water
• Sleep
• Fresh air
• Exercise
• Be kind to yourself
• Be kind to others
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help
• Stress/recognise the triggers
• Find a way to deal with that stress, it is never one size fits all
• Minimise alcohol consumption
• Refrain from self medication with pain killers and other substances

Also, and this is really important. Remember that there are kitchens to work in that are far away from the stress, turmoil and heat of battle that are characterised by TV shows.

What type of chef do you want to be?

Find an employer who reflects your personal ethics and working style.

Aside from restaurants and hotels you can work in any of the following areas:

• Events
• Pop Ups
• Private Chef
• Ski chalets
• NHS
• Educatering
• Teaching
• Contract Catering
• Street Food
• Yachts
• Development Chef
• Television

He concluded: “The sky really is the limit, but just make sure you look after yourself and others on the way up there.  If someone had told me when I was sitting where you are now, that I would have cooked for some of the amazing people I have had the privilege to cook for, even King Charles and Queen Camilla, then I would never have believed them, but I did and you can too.”

Film & photography by Carlos Farinha.

A Dream Lunch for Steak-loving London Chefs

We took over Omnino Steakhouse in Leadenhall Street, London on Monday 15th May to introduce London to the joys of Aussie Beef matured in an Italian ageing machine and cooked by a group of Brazilian chefs. 60 invited guests got their fill of some of the best steaks in the world.

It’s the sort of thing we’re becoming known for at The Chefs’ Forum and you can expect an invite to a city near you soon because we’re taking the concept on the road.

Here’s what happened. The Aussie Beef Mates Meat Feast featured an incredible array of steaks from down under:

JBS Aberdeen Black (Angus)

• 120+ Day Grain Fed Ribeye
• 28-day aged 120+ Day Grain Fed Ribeye
  
• 120+ Day grain Fed Sirion
• 28-day aged 120+ Day Grain Fed Sirloin

AAco Westholme Wagyu

• 350-Day Grain Fed Picanha
• 28-day aged 350-Day Grain Fed Picanha

Stockyard Wagyu

• 400-Day Grain Fed Bavette

All these steaks, except for the bavette, were matured in a state-of-the-art Stagionello® dry ageing machine to specific settings. The Stagionello allows chefs to preset maturation to a pre-programmed PH, humidity, temperature and ventilation during the ageing process. It sounds complicated but it really isn’t.

Evandro Bottecchia, Head of Sales at DCI Maintenance Ltd, who supplies Stagionello®, said:

“The Stagionello® machine is a unique system for processing food transformation that uses PH control for meat maturation. It is possible to mature meat in a safe and controlled environment for up to 360 days without the use of any additives throughout the process.

It was great to work with Stephen and team at Meat and Livestock Australia to film the ageing process over the last four weeks and the results on the day were simply delicious.

“It is the only device of its kind which has a cold-flavouring system that uses no heat or combustion. This conserves all the properties of the food and results in zero toxic residues.

“The Stagionello® uses a homogenous ventilation system that can result in a 14% loss of moisture during the curing process and comes with a training course and a scientific consultancy.”

The chefs also got to try a wet-aged version of each cut – The room was split as to which they preferred, but it was an excellent opportunity to showcase the latest technology in dry ageing, compared to the flavour achieved with wet ageing.

The steaks were cooked to perfection by the assembled Brazilian chefs who know a thing or two about how to cook meat. They also knocked up some pretty impressive sides:

Aussie Beef Mates Sides

• Farofa and Arroz Carreteiro by Eduardo Barsotti (Chef Patron, Omnino Steakhouse)
• Esquites by Aaj Fernando (Chef Consultant)
• Brazilian Vinaigrette by Marcilio Da Silva (Chef Consultant)
• Potato Salad by Cesar Scolari (Top Chef Brasil Finalist)
• Black Eyed Beans Salad by Luciana Berry (Top Chef Brasil Winner)

Dessert

• Corn Crème Brûlée by Franciane Tartari (Executive Pastry Chef & International Judge)

Wines were sponsored by Australian Winery, Brown Brothers

• Innocent Bystander Pinot Gris
• Brown Brothers Limited Release Durif

Stephen Edwards, UK Business Manager, Meat and Livestock Australia said:

“This was a great event and it really showed how incredible and versatile Aussie Beef really is. A huge thanks to The Chefs’ Forum for pulling it all together. One of the biggest attributes of Australian beef is its consistent eating quality due to our grading systems and pathways, the various cuts of steak were beautifully cooked by expert Brazilian chefs with some really delicious sides.

“We were also really impressed with the guest list that Catherine and the team assembled for us, they really do have great connections. Not only chefs from Michelin restaurants but also chefs from high-volume steak restaurants who really enjoyed what we have spent years building in Australia. First class. As the AUS/UK Free Trade Agreement comes in on June 1 this year we will see more variety of Aussie beef cuts finding its way to the high-quality foodservice UK market”

Chefs’ Forum Director Catherine Farinha said: “As a business, we are all about education. It was a pleasure to work with Aussie Beef and through our network we were able to assemble a dream team and really show off this incredible product. It went so well we are already working on taking the show on the road.”

Eduardo Barsotti, Owner of Omnino Steakhouse said

“It was a fantastic event and we really loved inviting the guest chefs into our kitchen to cook for 60 London chefs.  There was a real sense of community and the produce was of an amazing standard.  Omnino is a celebration of top-quality steak and our loyal customer base comes here expecting the very best.  We look forward to welcoming the visiting chefs back again soon.”

Photography by New Era.

Rum Baba Wins Student Pastry Chef of the Year 2023

Kai Whittaker (23) won the 2023 Student Pastry Chef of the Year competition, organised by leading chef networking organization, The Chefs’ Forum.  The high-profile event with a star-studded judging panel was held on Wednesday May 10th May at West London College.

Whittaker, Patisserie and Confectionery Level 2 student is also enrolled at West London College which brought great joy to the hosting college.

There were two sets of winners. The visiting chefs and suppliers judged based on looks and the pastry judges chose the final 3. Kai Whittaker’s baba au rum, soaked in rum and filled with coconut chocolate ganache and cream.

The baba also contained passion fruit curd, pineapple and mint – Topped with perfect crowns of Italian meringue – Delicious? The judges thought so and the reason why it was judged best overall – Kai’s plated dessert won the judges hearts, and he was also voted 2^nd for ‘looks only’ by a tough audience of over 50 chefs who attended the event, to ensure the room of top chefs agreed with the decision.

Who were the judges?

• Michael Kwan – Executive Pastry Chef at The Dorchester and UK Pastry Team
• Michael D’Angelo – Head Pastry Chef at Louie London
• Franciane Tartari – Head Pastry Chef and International Judge
• Enrico Carloni – Head Pastry Chef at The Peninsula
• Biju Joshwa – Executive Pastry Chef at Sheraton Grand Park Lane
• Cherish Finden – Bake Off: The Professionals Judge
• Nelson Sa – Head Pastry Chef at South Place
• Thibault Hauchard – Executive Pastry Chef at Claridge’s
• Benoit Blin – Executive Pastry Chef at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons/Bake Off: The Professionals Judge

Kai received a hand-painted trophy by luxury tableware brand, Wedgwood, which is a fantastic memento of his wonderful achievement.

Second place went to Katrina and third to Jack, who each won an amazing goody bag packed with vouchers, Wedgwood cake stands, Koppert Cress vanilla and a whole host of goodies from Henley Bridge, Adande Refrigeration, Mitchell & Cooper, Matfer Bourgeat, First Choice Produce, Bragard and Taylor UK.

“It’s a major triumph for the hosting college,” said Catherine Farinha, Chefs’ Forum Founder afterwards. “We are so proud for West London and the work our Chefs’ Forum Academy does here.”

Whittaker’s winning dish comprised of a rum baba (baba au rum) with passion fruit curd, coconut chocolate ganache, cream and white chocolate cream, Italian meringue and pineapple tartar. It was plated on a Gio Gold plate by Wedgwood and used chocolate by Republica del Cacao, kindly supplied by Henley Bridge Ingredients.

Kai told the Chefs’ Forum: “It is such a privilege to win this great competition. I can’t believe it. The judging panel is as good as it gets. Wow!”

Denise Charles, Head of Curriculum for Service Industries was delighted to host the competition, she said

“We were delighted to host this prestigious competition for the second time and enter it for the third year running – We were absolutely over the moon that one of our learners won.  We really are so proud of Kai and the hard work he has put into this competition.  I would like to thank all finalists and their lecturers for visiting and cooking at West London College yesterday and they were all an absolute credit to their colleges – The future of patisserie in the UK is looking very bright indeed!”

Tartari, lead judge said: “This year we set a high bar for the students, and they really delivered. Kai Whittaker’s rum baba was a real demonstration of skill and showed why it is so important to study the craft of pastry. Every element of his dish was perfect, and he was a worthy winner in a strong field.”

Catherine Farinha said: “The Student Pastry Chef of the Year Competition is an important part of our calendar and to get so many interested students who are keen to be involved is very encouraging. This year’s finalists all gave everything and it was a joy to watch from the sides.

“A big thank you to West London College for hosting and to all our amazing judges and suppliers who made it possible.”

Huge congratulations to all 8 finalists and we would love you to enter again if you are still in college next year – We’re certain you have an extremely bright future ahead of you!

Winner
Kai Whittaker, West London College

Second place
Katrina Tañas Atienza, University of West London

Third place
Jack Morris, Coleg y Cymoedd

Finalists
Husnaa Kaka, Leicester College
Gemma Collick, Leicester College
Mali Leese, Coleg y Cymoedd
Oraib Al-Shareeda, West London College
Abby Webster, North Kent College

Pop in and Have a Chaat at Talwar Express!

We are always pleased when chefs and hospitality leaders open new places and happy to spread the word. Ex-GM of Bristol’s The Mint Room and Bandook, Mohan Shanmugam has opened his first restaurant, along with Executive Chef and Business Partners, Muraliraj Narahimaraj and Murthy Ganta.

The hospitality trio are more of a work family, have a fantastic rapport and have worked all over the country together, notably at Birmingham’s Lasan Group and London’s Bombay Bustle Indian street food restaurant in Mayfair by the Leela Palaces Group.

Talwar Express is modelled on these hugely popular Indian street food spots and the style of cuisine is very much from the Southern region – Tamil Nadu; Both Mohan and Murali hail from the Chennai and Tamil is their spoken language.

Talwar means sword in Tamil and is representative of the determination and gumption that the team have displayed since arriving in the UK with big dreams in 2008.  It is this hard work and dedication that has led to the opening of Talwar Express and the Bristol Food Media Lunch was a celebration of the cumulation of their labour of love.

The Chefs’ Forum were delighted and honoured to have been asked to gather the great and the good of Bristol’s foodie glitterati for a special Bristol Food Media Lunch to firmly launch the restaurant in a city, where world street food is extremely well-represented and a total of ninety one languages and cultures celebrated.

We have worked with the team for the last six years, staging many culinary events, both at their restaurants for chefs, as well as high profile customer events and new model launches for both Bristol Audi and Bath Audi.

“Talwar Express is a homage to Indian street food,” Mohan told Catherine Farinha. “It’s a style of food that I grew up with and it’s close to my heart. You’ll find staples like chaats and street specials as well as light, healthy plates to share, as well as curries and all sorts of sides.”

“It’s a really interesting menu from someone who really knows the subject,” Catherine Farinha enthused after a taste of the food. “We enjoyed a Mysore Masala Dosa, Lahori Lamb Chops, a Mughlai murgh and gunpowder chips. It was fantastic.

“What I really loved was the way the menu was laid out. It’s unfussy and easy to understand and moves the regular Indian menu format in a new direction. We all felt we could order in any different direction and the plates to share were generous. It’s great to see Mohan doing something he really loves.”

There were some fantastic comments from Bristol’s merry band of food writers and  bloggers; Here were some of the comments:

“The food was absolutely faultless, just like home, we’re now going to hold our celebratory lunch here for fifteen members of 91 Ways.”
Mrs Baljeet Marwah, 91 Ways to Build a Global City

“It was all so good – One of our favourite dishes was the flavour-packed Kale Pakoda – Get yourself down to Talwar Express if you haven’t already!”
Emily Henley, Bristol Bites

“The Perfect way to spend a Bank Holiday, what a pleasure to enjoy well-executed South Indian Food served in small plates at the Bristol Food Media Lunch – Thank you for cooking Chef Muraliraj Narashimaraj.”
Ramona Andrews, Multi-Award-Winning food and cookery writer

This really was the perfect way to spend a Bank Holiday and we would urge you to check it out when next in Bristol.

You can find Talwar Express here www.talwarexpress.com

Photography and film by Carlos Farinha.

Incredible Line-up Wows Welsh School Students

A top line-up at Coleg Gwent yesterday introduced 120 local school students to the joys of a career in hospitality and what they can expect to learn at a top catering college.

The line-up comprised of Great British Menu contestant Cindy Challoner (who is also studying to become a chef lecturer), 3 time award-winning butcher Tim Hanks, Bake Off: The Professionals winner Andrew Minto and head chef Gareth Hope.

“It shows how seriously we take education when a line up like this gets together to inspire school students,” said Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum.

“It’s such a pleasure to work with Coleg Gwent. It’s such an amazing college, whose learners are clearly engaged and very much enjoying their courses.”

The taster day followed a familiar pattern of canapés and mocktails, pasta-making, sausage-making, butchery followed by cooking demonstration with seasonal Welsh produce and perfect patisserie with the finest chocolate fondants being made by Andrew!

At the end the students took part in an éclair decorating competition and the winner was presented with a copy of The Chefs’ Forum’s new publication, The Chef’s’ Knowledge.

Gavin George from Coleg Gwent, said: “The work we do in partnership with The Chefs’ Forum continues to get better and better and every one of these amazing days we do more and more students from local schools get more inspiration to come and study here. A big thank you to the amazing team that came and entertained us!”

Photo & film credit: Carlos Farinha

Student Pastry Chef of the Year Finalists Announced

Eight students have made it through to the final of the 2023 Student Pastry Chef of the Year competition. Lead judge Franciane Tartari has heralded this year’s talent and the hugely-impressive standard of the entries.

Franciane told The Chefs’ Forum:

“I’m really impressed with the diversity and strength of the entrants this year. Pastry is a hard discipline to learn but this year’s bunch are well up for the challenge. Congratulations to all those who made it through to the final!”

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

“It’s so gratifying to get such good feedback from the students and to see them entering this important competition. We have a great final ahead of us and we are so pleased that 5 colleges share the 8 finalists. That’s a great spread from across the country!”

The finalists are:

• Husnaa Kaka – Leicester College
• Gemma Collick – Leicester College
• Jack Morris – Coleg y Cymoedd
• Kai Whittaker – West London College
• Katrina Tañas Atienza – University of West London
• Mali Leese – Coleg y Cymoedd
• Abby Webster – North Kent College
• Oraib Al-Shareeba – West London College

The Chefs’ Forum would like to take this opportunity to thank all this year’s entrants for their brilliantly-creative presentations and we’re very much looking forward to seeing the final eight finalists create their wonderful concepts on the 10^th May at West London College.

Meet the judges:

• Michael Kwan – Executive Pastry Chef at The Dorchester and UK Pastry Team
• Chris Underwood – Artisserie
• Michael D’Angelo – Head Pastry Chef at Louie London
• Franciane Tartari – Executive Pastry Chef at Amazonico
• Daniel Pearse – Executive Pastry Chef at Rhubarb
• Enrico Carloni – Head Pastry Chef at The Peninsula
• Biju Joshwa – Executive Pastry Chef at Sheraton Grand Park Lane
• Cherish Finden – Bake Off: The Professionals Judge
• Nelson Sa – Head Pastry Chef at South Place
• Thibault Hauchard – Executive Pastry Chef at Claridge’s
• Benoit Blin – Executive Pastry Chef at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons/Bake Off: The Professionals Judge

Thank you to our sponsors: Bragard, Wedgwood, Henley Bridge, Matfer Bourgeat, Mitchell & Cooper, Koppert Cress, First Choice Produce, Taylor UK and Adande.

Crab a Piece of This!

To see is to believe. There is no better way of demonstrating the value of a Crustastun than to see it in action, so Mitchell & Cooper Project Director, Kat Cooper and The Chefs’ Forum team headed off to Brixham to put it to the test. Joining them were Chef Jolly and local chef Canon Vas from the Berry Head Hotel.

Mitchell & Cooper is proud to manufacture Crustastun at their family-run factory in Ukfield, East Sussex.  They are carrying out a series of live trials at the moment and are systematically receiving hugely-positive-feedback about the improved eating quality of crab and lobster, humanely-dispatched, using their patented cutting-edge, humane, technology, while raising welfare standards in the processing of live crustaceans in a professional kitchen environment.

The purpose of Brixham trip was to meet the fishermen and market traders at the ‘chalk face’ of the fishing industry, then to see the wonderful creations produced in the kitchen by top Indian fish chefs, all using Crustastun to stun the freshest live Brixham crab and the results were truly amazing.

Project Director and Crustastun Manufacturer Kat Cooper said

“We have had a brilliant time in Brixham with The Chefs’ Forum and the hugely-talented chefs we have met along the way.  To be shown around the fish market by the Rockfish chefs was such an amazing experience and the passion and excitement form the chefs in our party was infectious.  I am really excited for the future of Crustastun and at how well it has been received by the chefs who are using it. Crustastun is especially dear to us as we manufacture it and it is so great to see it being tested by top chefs in the field.”

First up, was a visit to the famous fish market and then out on the boat to see the pots that are dotted around the Devon coast.

“We’re working with Mitchell & Cooper to promote improved animal welfare in professional kitchens,” explained Chefs Forum Director Catherine Farinha. “We believe passionately in the humane dispatch of shellfish which have been shown to have what is known as sentience. In the other words they can be adversely harmed by traditional methods of preparation such as being plunged into boiling water or pierced with a sharp knife.

“The Crustastun used electricity and water to literally stun the shellfish and results in much higher quality meat and it’s done humanely. What’s not to like? We decided to do this in Brixham with the freshest crab we could find and invited some local chefs to come and see for themselves. It was a brilliant day.”

Rockfish Chef Director Kirk Gosden and Senior Head Chef, Kyle Williams took great delight in showing their chefs peers around Brixham Fish Market, the largest in the UK by value of fish sold.  They walked the group through the tremendous bounty of species landed at the market; From beautiful lobster to bream, stunning seabass to John Dory and Turbot as big as Land Rover wheels, Jolly and Canon were in their element.

Kirk said

“We love having chefs visit Brixham fish market for tours.  It’s wonderful to see the excitement on their faces as they explore the different elements of the sea to land process.  From trawlers to grading and quality control, it was great to explain the fishing processes and the daily trade deals sealed by silent auction, on a national and international level to our chef peers.”

We were also joined by David Markham from the Blue Seafood Company in neighbouring Paignton, who supplies beautiful Brixham Crab to Rockfish and is also a Brand Ambassador for Crustastun.

David said

“There is this issue going on around sentience and the population is behind it. And when anyone asks, we explain that we use Crustastun and it is compassionate. We’ve done our part to make sure our restaurant dispatches crab in the most humane manner.

“We’ve very quickly started to adopt the Crustastun technology, from a humane perspective mainly. We use it in our larger crab business, Blue Sea Crab, and when we opened our restaurant, The Crab & Hammer in Paignton, it was a natural progression to use a smaller version in the kitchen.

“We’ve had comments from the likes of Raymond Blanc and The Waterside Inn how they can really notice the difference in the flavour of the crab and we were truly amazed with the difference to the improved eating quality of the crab meat when it is humanely stunned, it is less stressed and more tender as a result.

International Celebrity Chef Jolly concluded

“It was an absolute privilege to see the fish market and we are so grateful to the Rockfish chefs for the tour and the fantastic surf and turf breakfast they kindly prepared for us afterwards in Rockfish.  It is wonderful to see the care and passion that runs through everything the team do and take in the beautiful harbour views or trawlers, fishermen and general market activity.  I felt much better about using Crustastun to humanely dispatch Brixham crab, then creating a wonderful Kerala crab curry in a cook-off with Canon in his kitchen and the quality of the crab coming out of Torbay is simply sensational –The crab meat really was really tender and stunning crustaceans is definitely the future in professional kitchens.  I had a great time and will certainly be visiting Brixham and Rockfish again soon.”

The Chefs’ Forum is looking to stage a larger version of this event as we feel it is important for chefs to see where their fish comes from, at source and all of the hard work and passion that goes into supplying professional kitchens across the UK and beyond.   Any chefs who would be interested in attending such an event should contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com

Photography & film by Carlos Farinha.