News Archives - Page 40 of 122

Nicholas Balfe is Coming Holm

Nicholas Balfe, chef Patron of Salon in Brixton is heading to the South-West to open a new restaurant, Holm in rural Somerset – an old bank in South Petherton has been remodeled. Balfe is one third of the team than owns Brixton’s Salon and Peckham’s Larry’s and Levan restaurants.

The founding team will comprise Nicholas Balfe, Mark Gurney and Matt Bushnell

The Chefs’ Forum spoke to Nicholas to congratulate him on the new opening and to find out more about why he has chosen Somerset to launch his newest site, he said

“Having spent my early years in Somerset and Dorset, I am extremely passionate about the west country. I’ve been in London for the last sixteen years and now I have a young family, I want them to be at one with the land as I was growing up. I want to take my children foraging and exploring beautiful natural surroundings offered by lush green countryside and scenery. I am most excited about the abundance of wonderful local produce that Somerset has to over and have already made plans to visit various producers, who I intend to work with directly.”

Nicholas is also looking forward to working with local catering colleges as part of The Chefs’ Forum Academy, both for his London sites and Holm in the West Country once it launches this Autumn.

The all-day space will comprise 30 indoor seats with an outdoor grill and terrace adding extra capacity. The bank’s old vault will become the wine cellar which will be heavy on biodynamic wines.

Guests and locals can look forward to breakfast dishes like caramelised apple and miso buns or Montgomery cheddar croques. In the evening, dishes like Brixham mussels with lovage, creme fraiche and cider will sit alongside Somerset ex-dairy tartare with pickled mushrooms and cured egg yolk. Or Coal-roasted celeriac with garden brassicas and seaweed bernaise. For dessert Wood-fired plum clafoutis and miso ice cream.

Holm will also serve ciders and perries from local producers along with cocktails and homemade soft drinks using herbs and botanicals picked from the garden.

Dealing with No Shows. The Industry Fights Back

Customers are back in restaurants and life is getting back to normal and, it appears, some things haven’t changed. The issue of the no-show is still apparent and with fewer tables and social distancing is causing real problems.

Andy Witheridge, chef Patron of The Salty Monk in Devon, spoke for a lot of chefs and restaurateurs recently when he said that lockdown had given him an opportunity to reevaluate his life. One of his prime concerns since opening up again has been to look at the whole issue of no show and what to do about it.

“I’m charging a £10 non-refundable booking fee on all bookings,” he told us. “I’m doing this because I am sick of the no-shows. Also, I’m no longer frightened to kick out rude tables in the middle of their evening if they are rude to my staff. It’s a no-nonsense approach because a small amount of people are ruining it for everyone else. Someone has to make a stand.”

A recent survey by the team at Carbon Free Dining listed the following reasons given by customers for not cancelling a booking they had made:

45% don’t cancel because it’s not easy to find cancellation information.
27% don’t cancel because they can’t be bothered.
18% don’t cancel because the restaurant doesn’t send reminders and they forgot they had a booking.
9% don’t cancel because they book several restaurants and decide which they’ll attend nearer to the time.

Liverpool-based Foursquare Group have started their own campaign – #savemyseat – to help businesses cope with the issue by charging a deposit. According to Four Square the pre-covid figure for no shows was around 1 in every 5 bookings. The aim of the campaign is to help normalise this practice and make deposits a part of table booking.

Where do you stand? Let us know how you are copping with no-shows.

Finalists for The Chefs’ Forum, Young Pastry Chef of the Year Announced

17:00 on Friday 28^th May saw the close of the semi-final for The Chefs’ Forum, Young Pastry Chef of the Year, 2021. Over the Spring bank-holiday weekend, our panel of expert judges marked the entries from twenty semi-finalists, competing from colleges across the UK.

The challenge required the students to produce a chocolate-inspired entremet consisting of at least four layers, using a chosen chocolate from a range of five, carefully selected and supplied by sponsors Valrhona.

The standard of the entries was impressive and the creativity shown by the students was amazing. The consideration of textures and flavours showed great imagination and careful thought in terms of the eating experience.

Chair of judges, Jamie Houghton of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and President of the UK Pastry Team said:

“Having looked at all the candidates’ work thoroughly; I was very impressed by the standard of entries. The students have worked hard and it will make for a very interesting final. I’m looking forward to being able to see everyone’s work and tasting their creations at the final.”

Neil Rippington, Director of Education at The Chefs’ Forum said:

“Supporting Jamie and the team of judges over the weekend was a pleasure. I was enthused by the number and standard of entries; it shows what great talent we have in colleges throughout the UK. We want the competition to celebrate this and showcase the career potential in such a creative and rewarding profession.”

After great deliberation and debate, the final eight students were selected to progress to the final, held at West London College on June 15^th.

Congratulations to the finalists:

Adam Barrett, Doncaster College
Annie Carter, The Manchester College
Connor Pogson, Halesowen College
Holly Jackson, Hopwood Hall College
Kimberley Nutley, West Suffolk College
Morgan Upcott, Coleg Gwent
Taylor-Jade Frendo, The Manchester College
Unaisa Hussain, Leicester College

The judges were thrilled and inspired by the enthusiasm and dedication shown by the students. The judges commented on how difficult it was to select eight to go through from so many high-quality entries, but this is the nature of competition.

Great thanks and appreciation go out to the judges for their contributions to date and for confirmation of their presence at the final on June 15^th. At the final, the students will be working under time constraints and the judges will taste the finished products, as well as analysing the skills and techniques used.

The Judges

Jamie Houghton – Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and President of the UK Pastry Team
Luke Frost – L’Ecole Valrhona
Chris Underwood – Belmond Cadogan Hotel
Thibault Hauchard- Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester
Michael Quan – Hotel Café Royal
Daniel Pearse – The Savoy

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

“I am really pleased that the competition has been taken so seriously by the students and the colleges. The take-up was beyond expectation and the quality of the students’ work was outstanding and extremely well thought through. I can’t wait to sample the entremets in person at the final.”

The competition is kindly sponsored and supported by Valrhona, Matfer Bourgeat, Mitchell & Cooper, Oliver Harvey, Angel Refrigeration, Welsh Fine Food Cluster (Calon Wen Dairy), First Choice Produce and Vanillaism.

How’s Your Head Chef?

Mental health is no joking matter. The last year has had a devastating effect on lives, businesses and the minds of everyone in hospitality. If you are in any way struggling to get back to normal it is important to understand that you are not alone.

Please, whatever you do, do not suffer in silence. If you feel anxious, nervous or panicked about returning to work please let us know if there is anything we can do to help. Equally, if you are out of work due to circumstances beyond your control then we are here for you, too.

Feel free to drop us a line or call us for a chat. We are here for you.

Life has its ups and downs. Times of joy and times of sadness. It’s easy to slip into habits and patterns that can be hard to escape from without sharing what your going through. Chances are there’s someone close to you at work who may be going through the same thing but they are keeping it quiet as well.

Our message to all chefs in the wake of mental health awareness week no matter how experienced is this: it’s OK to be not OK. Your mental health is important to the way you function in a team. If you are struggling and you need help, even if you think you don’t, give us a shout.

We’ll do what we can to help you find what you need. It all starts with a chat. We don’t need to know the details but we will certainly listen and help you to find the help you need closer to home.

Hospitality is a community and as a community we all have a duty to care for each other as much as we care for our guests.

School Taster Day at West London College with the Chefs’ Forum Academy

The Chefs’ Forum delivered an interactive School Taster Day on Wednesday 19^th May alongside the staff of our Chefs’ Forum Academy at West London College and accompanied by some of the industry’s leading chefs.

Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum, welcomed the students, schools, and all participants to the taster event. Denise Charles, Head of Curriculum for Service Industries at the West London College, introduced the students to the Hospitality and Catering department, providing an overview of course options and outlining the opportunities for students to enrol onto study programmes at a variety of levels.

Tracy Round-Turner, Assistant Principal at the West London College, supplied an insightful video interview, outlining the strength of the partnership between the College and The Chefs’ Forum. Tracy highlighted the many benefits the College has enjoyed as a Chef’s Forum Academy, including the great work that took place during the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

In advance of the taster day, all students in the schools were provided with samples fresh strawberries, peaches and passion fruit, generously supplied by First Choice Produce, as well as three varieties of single-plantation chocolate supplied by Valrhona. This enabled the students to try the base ingredients featuring in the exciting demonstrations they were about to view.

After the introductions, we headed to the kitchens of ‘The Grill at The Dorchester’ where Head Chef, Tom Booton took us through a delightful creation of his dish, ‘English Strawberries, Posset & Lemon Verbena Ice Cream’. Tom spoke of the importance of high quality, local and seasonal produce. He also mentioned how the considered treatment of fine ingredients can result in beautiful, elegant, yet simple dishes. Tom went on to emphasise that “…in every mouthful, the guest should get a balance of the flavours and textures incorporated into the dish.” The dessert looked stunning and Tom had a very jealous audience as he tucked in to test out his own creation.

We then flew virtually to Dipna Anand, Chef Proprietor of Brilliant Restaurant, author and celebrity chef, to make two highly refreshing inspired cocktails using ‘Passion Fruit Two Ways’. First up, Dipna demonstrated how to make an alcohol-free ‘Passion Fruit Mojito’. We were taken through the origins of the Cuban cocktail, traditionally made from white-rum and ‘muddled’ mint. Dipna used the same processes that would be used to make a traditional Mojito, but omitted the alcohol, replacing it with beautifully sweet and refreshing passion fruit pulp and juice.

For her second drink, Dipna made a Passion Fruit Lassi, a traditional Indian drink made from a natural yoghurt base. Dipna explained that there are many versions of ‘lassi’, some being sweet, others salty or savoury and even spicy. On this occasion, Dipna made a sweet passion fruit lassi, demonstrating how to finish cocktails with simple fruit and herb garnishes to enhance the visual appeal of the drinks to customers. Both drinks looked thirst-quenching and would provide a fresh fruit lift and sparkle at any meal occasion.

After her demonstration, Dipna said:

“It was great to be taking part in the college’s taster day alongside The Chefs’ Forum, who are always so supportive of students pursuing hospitality and catering. Students got a first-hand virtual experience of what to expect on the course and found the session extremely useful and encouraging. I showcased drinks for a change during this event, which went down a storm. It’s satisfying to know that through my skills and words of encouragement during the online session, students are convinced and positive to join our brilliant industry.”

After a quick break, we returned to the kitchens at One Aldwych with Executive Chef, Dominic Teague.

Dominic produced a delicate dish of ‘Poached Peaches and Vanilla Crème Fraiche’. Dominic explained the importance of trying to utilise fruit when it is at its very best in terms of ripeness. This also led to discussing how important it is to consider the condition of fruits when poaching them.

Dominic explained “If fruits are ripe, they will need very little poaching time, perhaps none at all, and maybe best left to macerate and infuse in a flavoured liquid. Fruit that is underripe, however, will need a longer poaching time and perhaps required some additional sugar to add to the sweetness.”

At the end of his demonstration, Dominic went on to say:

“How great to be able to share some knowledge and insight into our wonderful industry, especially as we come out of this unprecedented year. Full credit to The Chefs’ Forum for facilitating this great initiative. I hope the students enjoyed as much as I did.”

The final demonstration was provided by Chef, Laurian Veaudour (Bake Off: The Professionals Winner 2020). Laurian hosted a chocolate tasting of three chocolates from Valrhona, France, one of the world’s leading single-plantation chocolate producers. The students shared their views on which style of chocolate they preferred, while Laurian produced an exquisite Valrhona Chocolate & Hazelnut Brownie with a Chocolate Whipped Ganache.

At the end of his demonstration, Laurian said:

“It was such a pleasure to be a part of the taster day. It is great to be able to inspire the new generation of chefs and bakers around the country, especially with the wonderful produce with can find on our doorstep.”

It’s such a shame we couldn’t try all the dishes and products, however, recipes cards were sent to the schools for everyone to try at their leisure. We hope the taster day inspired the students and teachers to try making the recipes at school or perhaps having a at home!

Maggie Haddad, Careers Coordinator Kensington Aldridge Academy said:

“The event was super insightful, particularly for our Year 10 pupils who are yet to explore their post-16 options. The live and interactive experience (not to mention the edible goodies!) went down incredibly well and has even inspired a couple of our pupils to set up their own food blogs! All round, a great taster event.”

And Zara Sahir-Ahmed, from Brentside High School said:

“The students really enjoyed tasting the food. We would love to see the demonstrations again in person.”

Nearly 100 students from the following 6 schools participated in the taster day with West London College:

The Green School for Boys,
Kensington Aldridge Academy
Belvue College
Phoenix Academy
Brentside High School
Alec Reed Academy

A Great Opportunity to Purchase an Established Restaurant in North Somerset with Accommodation

Franks is a family run restaurant with 32 covers specialising in modern/European cuisine, situated at the foot of the Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, UK.

The restaurant has been open since 2003 and has gained a reputation for good food, and a wine list to complement.

This is a great opportunity to purchase an established restaurant in North Somerset, with accommodation for a family or guests.

Set in the heart of Cheddar this wonderful property offers a selection of opportunities. The property is currently used as a restaurant and houses on the ground floor a restaurant capable of comfortably seating 34 people. There are a ladies and gents toilet with wash basins and WC, a fully equipped commercial kitchen which is fully fitted with ovens, fridges and work surfaces with a separate area used for washing up with space for dishwashers/glass cleaners.

There is also a fully equipped, licenced bar with a seating area.

The first floor currently houses a L shaped front and rear aspect living room with space for a dining room table. There is also a well designed kitchen with space for white appliances with a selection of wall and base units. There are also two front aspect bedrooms with one currently used as a business store. There is also a good sized family bathroom with sink, toilet and shower cubicle.

The top floor houses three further bedrooms and could quite easily be used as a B and B. The larger bedroom benefits from its own toilet, basin and shower cubicle along with storage facilities whilst the further two bedrooms both benefit from a shower cubicle. There is also a handy cloakroom.

The property benefits from a courtyard garden which provides parking for a couple of vehicles. There is a handy outside store area and steel steps leading up to a decked area which is perfect for enjoying the evening sun.

Asking price: £525,000

Please contact Frank on 07884 288427 or email him frank@franksrestaurant.co.uk to arrange a viewing.

Entries Closing Soon for Tilda Chef Team of the Year 2021

The entry deadline for Tilda Chef Team of the Year is drawing closer, with teams encouraged to enter before the 28^th May 2021 deadline.

With a two night trip to Italy to win, as well as the famous Tilda blue trophy up for grabs, chefs can register for the prestigious title of Tilda Chef Team of the Year now by visiting Salon Culinaire’s website https://internationalsalonculinaire.co.uk/salon-live/.

Along with joining the Tilda Chef Hall of Fame, the winning team will bank an all-expenses paid two-night trip to Italy*, visiting Vercelli and the Piedmont region, for when restrictions are lifted. They will have the opportunity to visit the impressive paddies and mills responsible for the world-famous Tilda rice and discover one of Italy’s oldest cities. Whilst there, the winning team will also experience the fantastic food festivals and delicious local produce that Vercelli has to offer.

Speaking about the upcoming deadline, Annette Coggins, Head of Foodservice, Tilda UK says:

“There is a buzz of anticipation for the final and we’re urging those last few teams to throw their hats into the ring for the chance to be crowned this year’s Tilda Chef Team of the Year and join our winners’ circle! This is a fantastic competition that allows chef duos to really show off their craft and see the full potential of rice.”

Chefs can register for the competition now by visiting https://internationalsalonculinaire.co.uk/salon-live/ by 28^th May 2021, with the live final taking place on Wednesday 9^th June, at the University of West London.

The judging panel will be looking for the chef team who will embrace global cuisines, inspiring trends, exquisite flavours that appear on today’s menus and celebrate creativity, whilst using Tilda rice at their heart of each dish. There will be 45 minutes in the final for teams to prepare four portions of a main and dessert.

Annette adds:

“We can’t wait to see what the competing chef teams come up with this year and how they’ll use our rice! The speciality range is so versatile and will enable chefs to experiment with such a huge variety of flavours and techniques – we’ve seen fantastic entries over the years and we’re so excited for what this year will bring!”

With the deadline looming, chef teams are encouraged to seek Tilda’s speciality range which hosts a wide variety of delicious rice, starting with chef favourite – Easy Cook Basmati with its elegant and natural appeal. The range also includes the nutty and aromatic Easy Cook Basmati and Wild, the naturally Fragrant Jasmine Rice and the deliciously creamy Arborio from Po Valley. The extensive selection offers great tasting rice every time, with the natural ability to absorb and enhance the flavour of a dish.

Tilda’s independent research has found that three quarters of consumers would pay more when seeing a named rice on the menu, versus a non-named variety. To learn more about elevating your plate, visit https://www.tilda.com/professionals/article/make-menu-work/.

Badge Up Your Home Delivery Service

Badge up your home delivery service with bespoke food delivery packs by Global Vending Solutions

Are you doing local delivery from your business or kitchen? If so then there may be an opportunity that you are missing. The new food delivery packs created by Global Vending Solutions (GVS) can be ordered in your colours and feature your logo. That means that whoever is doing the deliveries for you will be visible en route.

Managing Director Joseph Burke said: “It’s an exciting time. We were getting more and more enquiries for delivery systems and so we designed a new version but using new technology to produce a drier kind of heat where the food does not sweat as much.

“But then we started to get enquiries about bespoke packs. The questions we were being asked were about how they can be customised? How can we have our logo? Our brand colours? Interchangeable advertising on the product? It was at this stage we began to speak to our product development team, who came up with a fully customisable range, with an option available for businesses of any size’.

“In recognition of the changing landscape of recent times, this product offers businesses the chance to facilitate their own food delivery service with fully-branded equipment. Not only this but each product from Global Vending Solutions is rigorously tested and approved to ensure the food transportation does not result in a compromise on quality.

‘We have always dealt with our customers directly as what we offer is so bespoke. We listen carefully to their requirements and make it happen – regardless of how challenging it might be. When one client spoke to us about this product we started the development process – and since then the enquiries have kept increasing!’

“In addition, the food delivery sector includes a huge range of specific requirements. Insulated pizza delivery packs need to be a completely different size and shape to one that is designed for burgers or smaller items. Using our experience in this area we were able to produce something to suit every end user – all with diverse customisation options to ensure a professional finish.

‘Restaurants today have the power to accept orders online or over the phone with no problem at all, and this is true today for all cuisine, not just the more ‘traditional’ takeaway items. It’s important that when restaurants do offer this service, the food that arrives has no impact on its quality – and our delivery packs are the perfect solution to achieve this.’

To view the new range of delivery packs from GVS contact Joseph directly on: joseph@thirstsolution.com for help or advice on any vending-related solutions.

The Chefs’ Forum Celebrates a Great Week of Virtual Taster Days

The Chefs’ Forum was very proud to deliver two interactive School Taster Days this week with our Chefs’ Forum Academies at The Manchester College and Pembrokeshire College.

On Tuesday, we started in Manchester with Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum, welcoming the students, schools, and all participants to the taster event. Maxine Gunning, Head of Curriculum for Hospitality & Catering and Travel & Tourism at The Manchester College, introduced the students to the Hospitality and Catering department and its staff. A detailed overview of course options was provided, outlining the opportunities for students to enrol onto study programmes at an appropriate level.

The event started with a cheese tasting from South Caernarfon Creameries with artisan cheesemaker, Trystan Povey. All the schools participated in the cheese as samples were sent prior to the event. They compared a Welsh Slate Cavern Aged Cheddar and a Smoked Mature Cheddar cheese.

We then went live to the kitchens of Exose Grant Lopo-Ndinga, Chef Consultant & contestant and finalist on Masterchef: The Professionals 2019 and Dipna Anand (Owner of Brilliant Restaurant in London and regular guest on TV cookery shows – Dipna’s latest appearance was on ‘James Martin’s Saturday Morning’ programme last week!)

Rotating from one kitchen to the next, Exose produced his version of ‘Mac & South Caernarfon Creameries Cavern Aged Cheddar Cheese’, while Dipna made her famous South Caernarfon Creameries Smoked Mature Cheddar Cheese & Onion ‘Stuffed Parathas’. Both dishes looked delicious!

After her demonstration, Dipna said:

“It was great to be taking part in the college’s taster day alongside The Chefs’ Forum, who are always so supportive of students pursuing hospitality and catering. Students got a first-hand virtual experience of what to expect on the course and found the session extremely useful and encouraging. I showcased a recipe video of stuffed parathas which went down a storm. It’s satisfying to know that through my skills and words of encouragement during the online session, students are convinced and positive to join our brilliant industry.”

After a break, we moved onto Cwmfarm Charcuterie with artisan producer, Ruth Davies. Alongside Ruth’s engaging talk from ‘Salami HQ’ as she refers to the company’s manufacturing base, the students sampled Welsh salami and ‘nduja’ – a delicious, spreadable rich and spicy sausage.

We then travelled virtually to the kitchen of Doug Crampton, Head Chef at James Martin, Manchester. Doug demonstrated a great way to utilise the nduja by making a dish of ‘Baked Cwmfarm Nduja, Hen’s Eggs & Wild Garlic’ The dish looked so vibrant and tasty with striking colours, a beautifully simple dish suitable for a breakfast treat or brunch!

The final dish of the day was a sweet treat. The students were sent samples of Wickedly Welsh Chocolate, in which they compared its quality against a highly reputed Belgian chocolate. Chocolatier, Mark Owen took us through the production of the chocolate and the differences between the methods deployed. They were both delicious.

Pastry Chef Laurian Veaudour (Bake Off: The Professionals Winner 2020) provided us with the last dish of the day, producing a delicate ‘Orange & Wickedly Welsh Milk Chocolate Shortbread’. It’s such a shame we couldn’t try one but recipes cards were provided, so there was no excuse for not having a go at making them at home!

On Wednesday morning we travelled, virtually, south-west to the coast of Pembrokeshire to deliver a Taster Day on behalf of The Chefs’ Forum Academy at Pembrokeshire College, Wales.

Catherine again welcomed all the participating schools before passing to Wendy Weber, Head of Health, Childcare and Commercial Enterprise, to introduce the lecturing staff at the college, who provided a talk about the various courses available and the fantastic opportunities for students following their studies.

The students were then provided Marketing bags from Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales, alongside an inspirational talk and accompanying video from meat expert, Rhys Llywelyn. Rhys spoke about the fantastic natural environment in which Welsh meat is reared to create truly world-class produce. Somewhat surprisingly, we learnt that Welsh meat is exported all over the world with only a small percentage of the meat being consumed by the people in Wales. Rhys would like to see this change!

Following the talk, we were treated to simultaneous demonstrations from highly renowned chefs Dougie Balish (Head Chef at The Grove at Narberth) and Matt Waldron (Head Chef at The Stackpole Inn). Dougie took us through his ‘Spicy Welsh Beef, Avocado & Goats Cheese Tortilla’, a mouth-watering fusion featuring great Welsh meat and flavours of Mexico.

Switching from one kitchen to the other, Matt produced a spectacular dish of ‘Welsh Lamb Rump with Potato Puree, Roscoff Onion, Shallot, Peas & Wild Garlic’. Matt discussed the processes he used to produce such fine purees and delicate flavours. The dish looked amazing, if only we could have tasted it!

After a break, we were treated to the sweeter side of the kitchen, although one of the magic ingredients used was salt! Salt is an essential natural mineral we can’t survive without. It also has amazing properties as a flavour enhancer, taste modifier and suppressant of bitterness. That’s why the addition of a little salt makes sweet foods taste even better!

Pembrokeshire Sea Salt samples and jars of salted caramel were again sent to the schools for the students to sample. Josh Wright from Pembrokeshire Sea Salt showed us the methods in which salt is produced and dried from sea water and the award-winning artisan salt from Pembrokeshire is regarded as one of the most flavoursome in the world.

Showcasing the salt and caramel, Lisa Fearn, Chef Proprietor of The Pumpkin Patch Kitchen & Garden and Y Sied Cookery School, produced Brownie Cookies with Pembrokeshire Sea Salt & Salted Caramel, whilst a group of Professional Cookery students from the college baked alongside Lisa. The results were fabulous, getting the thumbs up from Lisa!

At the end of the two days, Laurian said:

“It is such a pleasure to be a part of the taster days so we can inspire the new generation of chefs and bakers around the country, especially with the wonderful produce with can find on our doorstep.”

A real treat to finish the taster days and what a refreshing and inspiring way to spend three hours on a Tuesday and Wednesday morning!

Miss Palmer – Hospitality & Catering Teacher at Ysgol Greenhill School, Pembrokeshire added:

“Our students found it extremely beneficial to see the wonderful facilities at the college. They were inspired by the live demonstrations and the use of technical terminology was useful for their upcoming exam.”

Participating schools at the Taster Day at The Manchester College were:

Co-operative Academy of North Manchester
East Manchester Academy
Manchester Academy
Manchester Communication Academy
Middleton Technology School
Sale High School
Stockport School

Participating schools at the Taster Day at Pembrokeshire College were:

Ysgol Caer Elen
Ysgol Bro Gwaun
Greenhill
Portfield School
Haverfordwest High
ysgol y preseli
Ysgol Harri Tudur
Milford Haven School

New HCC Chair Sets Out Priorities

At her first Board meeting as the new chair of Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), Catherine Smith has laid out the levy board’s priorities for the new financial year.

The Chefs’ Forum was delighted to welcome Rhys Llywelyn to a virtual Hospitality Industry Taster Day (12) May, with Pembrokeshire College today, which showcased Welsh Beef and Lamb. 180 prospective college students from local feeder secondary schools all received a goody bag packed with information and merchandise promoting Welsh produce and farmers.

The board meeting with the new chair, also held virtually due to COVID restrictions – welcomed two new Board members in Jack Evershed and Emlyn Roberts, received analysis of consumer trends as Britain emerges from lockdown, and confirmed the organisation’s priorities for the coming year, the first following the long-awaited reform of the Red Meat Levy in April to secure a fairer deal for Wales.

The levy reform, enabled by the passage of the Agriculture Bill in Westminster and discussions between the three governments, means that producer levy on animals reared in Wales but slaughtered over the border will be transferred to HCC and no longer be lost to Wales.

Catherine Smith said: “The change in the Levy has been long awaited, and will provide greater transparency and equity for farmers here in Wales.

“We have exciting plans for the year ahead, building on the very positive work that HCC has undertaken in responding effectively to the twin challenges of COVID and Brexit.

“Central to our plans are building on the successful consumer engagement and brand building work that’s seen increases in sales of red meat over the past year, and new listings for Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef in major retailers.

“We also plan to work closely with governments and with our partner organisations in England and Scotland to secure access to new markets for our respective products and develop trade.

“HCC will also give a very high priority to promoting the world-leading environmental credentials of how we produce lamb and beef here in Wales, building on our ‘Welsh Way’ vision. We will also undertake crucial work alongside partners elsewhere in Britain to defend and enhance the reputation of our industry. Key milestones are coming up this year such as the COP26 summit in Glasgow. It’s vital that the public understands that not all methods of farming around the world are the same, and that we have a positive contribution to make to sustainability and global food security.”