The Great Game Guide To Launch at The Game Fair
Attention all game lovers! The Great Game Guide 2021, written and produced by The Chefs’ Forum, will launch at The Game Fair on 23rd July at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire.
The new guide, edited by Chandos Elletson, contains a list of 100 top game restaurants, pubs and hotels as well as interviews with game-loving chefs and experts. Further sections reveal where to buy game and what happens on a shoot or stalk.
The Game Fair, held between 23rd July and 25th July at Ragley Hall is billed as a festival of the countryside and The Chefs’ Forum will be there with a dedicated stand to host events and welcome visitors.
The Chefs’ Forum demo stage will be in the Totally Game Arena and many chefs included in the guide will join forces with the various game suppliers listed to showcase the finest game butchery and cookery in a series of live demonstrations over the three day event.
Chef Graham Garrett, from The West House in Kent, is one of the chefs joining in the festivities at The Chefs’ Forum stand and he said:
“We should be eating more game because everyone talks about sustainability, but this is the most healthy meat there is. Venison is perhaps the healthiest red meat there is. It’ ethical and sustainable.
“Everyone wants to know where their meat is from and there is nothing more honest and traceable than game meat. We should be eating wild food, as opposed to intensively farmed meat full of antibiotics and chemicals.”
Chefs’ Forum director Catherine Farinha commented on The Game Fair:
“It’s going to be a great event. We are going to celebrate the countryside, the launch of The Great Game Guide and enjoy being able to see each other in person and have a party. The Great Game Guide has brought so many chefs together for the good of the countryside and we can’t wait to see as many chefs as possible over those three days.”
The Great Game Guide editor Chandos Elletson said:
“What has struck me most about putting this guide together is the strength of feeling not only amongst chefs but also those in the countryside about the game industry. So many chefs have told us how much they love game, look forward to it and enjoy serving it. We all hope that the guide can help new guests find restaurants that celebrate game during the season.”
For more information please visit www.thegreatgameguide.com or contact alexandra@redcherry.uk.com
ZUMHOF BIERGARTEN ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE YARD
Reopening April 12th with a 7 day long party and brand-new Food Märkt.
Digbeth based Zumhof Biergarten has announced it will reopen officially on the 12th April, complete with brand-new second floor street food offering and 7 day long opening party.
The brand-new Zumhof second floor will house the Zumhof Junkyard bar and Zumhof Food Märkt, with three independent and local kitchens now operating in the former Air Nightclub, including Bonehead, Zuki and Meat Meets Bun – a brand new burger shop from renowned Birmingham food blogger, The Fat Foodie.
With the three new additions joining residents Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza and Schwënker, Zumhof Biergarten is now primed for the first phase of the government’s roadmap to reopening. Along with the food, revellers will find an outside biergarten, fire-pit heated tipi, and outdoor stage set in 4000 square foot of space of the Custard Factory car park.
In launching Zumhof Food Märkt on level 2 of the building, Zumhof becomes the second site for city centre-based Bonehead, whose fried chicken has garnered cult status in Birmingham. Joining them is Japanese street food concept Zuki bringing ramen, katsu curries and small plates to Digbeth for the first time.
Meat Meets Bun will be a first-of-its-kind concept for Birmingham, with award-winning blogger and Instagram star Fat Foodie crossing over into the hospitality business. Meat Meets Bun will use sustainable retired dairy cattle from acclaimed butcher Meat Matters, with a choice of four beef burgers alongside their vegan ‘Air’ burger. Burgers range from his take on a cheeseburger to the ‘Black and Blue’ with black pudding crumb, stilton cheese and chilli jam.
To celebrate its reopening from April 12th, Zumhof Biergarten has seven days of live entertainment, DJ’s, and acts all gracing the outdoor stage. Rinse FM and local legend Tom Shorterz kicks off a week that also features Triste, Callum Ashton, and Call Me Unique. The week ends with a pop-up record store from Moseley Vinyl Club on Sunday 18th April, providing the opportunity to source hard-to-find records of all genres.
Zumhof specialises in Bavarian and Czech beer, with weekly deliveries of unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell direct from Pilzen, alongside championing local breweries such as Purity and Digbrew.
Chris Hardy, who goes by the moniker Fat Foodie, said: “I’m feeling honoured and blessed to be working alongside the independents that I’ve loved and championed through my page since I started. I can’t wait to feed the masses through Meat Meets Bun!
From back in the day when I use to rave here, to now flipping burgers on the same dance floor. This place holds a lot of good memories and here’s to making a load more!”.
Zumhof Biergarten is a bar, biergarten and entertainment venue located in the heart of Digbeth, occupying the old Air Nightclub site and 4,000sq foot adjacent Custard Factory car park. Bookings are live to join us the Yard from 12th April via zumhof.co.uk. Follow @zumhofbiergarten on Instagram for all updates.
Dart Fresh Welcome Top Chefs to Exeter HQ to Celebrate Dartmoor Beef & Lamb
On Wednesday (24) March, Dart Fresh HQ in Exeter played host to a series of socially-distanced, Covid-safe, cookery demos to showcase their top quality Dartmoor beef and lamb, now to be processed on site thanks to state -of-the-art butchery unit being installed on the premises.
Dart Fresh has always aimed to be a one-stop-shop for chefs; to be able to give them everything they need to make their lives easier with making just one order and therefore one delivery. Now, chefs and home delivery retail customers can rest-assured that they are getting the freshest possible beef and lamb, straight from Dartmoor prepared to their individual specification and delivered to their door.
Olivier Certain, Head Chef at The Michelin-starred Masons Arms, Knowstone, North Devon joined forces with his Chef Patron Mark Dodson to create a fabulous dish of roasted rack of Dartmoor Lamb with spring vegetable, bacon fricassée and Lyonnaise potatoes and wild garlic.
“I really enjoyed the chance to see all the fantastic fresh produce available at Dart Fresh. It was great to cook with Dartmoor lamb and the ingredients supplied – I particularly liked the bacon and top quality, locally-sourced vegetables available – The Koppert Cress was fantastic – I used the salty fingers on my dish – It’s something we’ll definitely use at The Masons Arms and great news that we can get it from Dart Fresh!”
Second generation costermonger and Director, John Pritchard had diversified the business as he wants to offer chefs a complete foodservice solution.
Throughout the day John invited the crème de la crème of chefs over to Dart Fresh to cook with his top-quality produce in preparation for the restaurants, pubs and hotels reopening.
Paul Da Costa Greaves from Koppert Cress showcased his fabulous range of micro greens and cresses and how they can be used as fortifiers in food to boost health and flavour.
Anita-Clare Field of La Petite Bouchée made a beautiful Cote de Boeuf á la Bordelaise with seasonal vegetables and a beautifully rich bordelaise sauce made from cognac and veal stock – The Dartmoor Boeuf was a real star of the show and this dish really did this showpiece cut justice!
Next was Dan Bowden of Berwick Lodge who created on of his signature dishes called ‘Moo and Mould’ – A wondrous combination of sirloin of Dartmoor beef in clotted cream, Devon Blue cheese, onion puree, carrot fondant, shimeiji mushroom and beef dripping potatoes.
Barrie Tucker drew the day to a close with a sensational starter of lamb bon bons with char grilled asparagus, followed by cannon of Dartmoor lamb, wrapped in confit shoulder of Dartmoor lamb with textures of beetroot and coriander oil.
John was delighted to host a day of culinary excellence and really enjoyed working with the visiting chefs showcasing his beef and lamb in a range of creative and delicious dishes, He said
“This was a great chance to showcase the journey of where we’ve come from as a fruit and vegetable company in 1957, working with the supermarkets, to becoming an all-encompassing foodservice company and now introducing an online home delivery offer with the onset of the pandemic, which is proving really popular. Our Dartmoor beef and lamb is simply the best money can buy, sourced locally from Dartmoor and processed on site for minimal food miles.”
This was the third of a series of culinary focus days to be held by Dart Fresh, in association with The Chefs’ Forum, to showcase the vast range of meat, fish, fresh fruit and veg, fine foods and cooks’ ingredients available to top chefs and now, retail customers online.
John and the team are delighted to be supporting chefs at this difficult time and keeping them up to date with all the latest moves at Dart Fresh, and in the industry, to enhance and enrich the vast product range in preparation for the return of hospitality, as chefs set to work on menu planning and sourcing fantastic produce for their kitchens.
New additions to the impressive range of over 3,000 products already offered include Koppert Cress microgreens and cresses, Santa Maria herbs and spices.
They continue to supply fantastic fresh and locally sourced ingredients to chefs currently offering take-away menus as well as chefs and cooks across the care, education and hospital sectors six days a week and look forward to supporting chefs and the hospitality industry prepares for a phased reopening on the 17th May.
Next month’s culinary focus day will see a Fresh Fish Focus showcasing beautiful, fresh crab and lobster from Cornwall and Devon and the line-up of top local chefs will be announced shortly!
For more information on Dart Fresh, ingredients for chefs and the new online home delivery service, visit www.dartfresh.co.uk
Prue Leith and Dr Rupy back the Independent Review of NHS Hospital Food
On the 28th April, The Chefs’ Forum will partner with RATIONAL to deliver a relevant virtual seminar, covering the key points raised in the recently published ‘Independent Review of NHS Hospital Food’, chaired by Philip Shelley. The review highlights the essential developments required to ensure a sustainable food provision and service of the highest possible quality over the forthcoming years.
A professional panel of industry experts and stakeholders will come together to discuss the headline topics and provide a vision, the insight and expertise required to meet the objectives of the review.
Adam Knights, marketing director, Rational UK and Ireland comments,
‘The hospital seminar is the inaugural seminar for expert talks on key topics for RATIONAL. We are excited to be working in partnership with The Chef’s forum to provide a platform for individual from the hospital sector, including buyers, chefs, kitchen designers, equipment manufacturers, chief executives and catering managers who together can make a change for better hospital catering standards.’
With Prue Leith CBE (Industry icon, restaurateur, chef, TV presenter and food writer) making the introductory speech, our seminar panellists include:
Dr Rupy Aujla (GP, Founder of Culinary Medicine UK and author of the Doctor’s Kitchen)- Mike Ridder (Kitchen Consultant)
- Nicola Strawther (Chief Dietetic, Nottingham University Hospital)
- Colin Parry (RATIONAL UK)
- Philip Shelley (Chair of the NHS Hospital Food Review)
- Craig Smith (National Chair of the Hospital Caterers Association)
- Neil Rippington (Director of Education at The Chefs’ Forum and Instructor in Culinary Psychology, Harvard University)
The seminar will debate topics such as the future design of hospital kitchens and how design can contribute to areas such as food quality, sustainability, efficiency, and food safety.
Colin Parry, Sales Director at Rational UK said,
“We are delighted to have gathered together some of the leading professionals in hospital sector catering for a meeting of minds on how best to action the objectives identified in the recent NHS hospital Food Review. We very much look forward to hearing from the various specialists on how the topics for discussion relate to their various roles and how we can work as a collective to support hospital food and catering operations.”
Discussion topics include: Food as medicine; Tomorrow’s kitchen; Integrating technology; Sustainability; Food & drink standards; Healthy & nutritious menus; Working in partnership and Planning the future.
We will also acknowledge the fantastic contributions of our NHS Food Heroes to date and how the review proposes to ensure the evolution of future Food Heroes by providing the training, development and qualifications to support hospital caterers and their career development in the future.
The event intends to conclude with a clear plan outlined. How will the objectives be measured and reviewed? How can all stakeholders work together in partnership to provide the quality of provision that all within the NHS deserve?
The only way to find out how is by booking your seat at the seminar.
This is a ‘free to attend event’ organised by Rational and The Chefs’ Forum, so please book now by emailing your details to: catherine@redcherry.uk.com
Valrhona Matfer Bourgeat Chocolate Entremet Challenge was a Huge Success
On Friday 12th March, Jamie Houghton Pastry Sous Chef at Oxfordshire’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and Glen Sharman (Sous Chef at Le Manoir) joined forces with The Chefs’ Forum to present a Continuing Professional Development masterclass which served to update and reinforce skills of professional chefs and chef lecturers.
Jamie Houghton has just been announced this week as President of the UK Pastry Team, which is a truly excellent achievement and will see him lead his team to the Coup du Monde de la Patisserie set to take place from Friday 24th to Saturday 25th September 2021.
The Valrhona Chocolate CPD event was kindly sponsored by Valrhona, in partnership with Mitchell & Cooper, the UK home of the fabulous Matfer Bourgeat pastry and chocolate equipment for the professional kitchen.
Benoit Blin, Chef Patissier at Le Manoir was delighted that Jamie and Glen were leading the session, he said
“It was with great confidence that I left the Valrhona chocolate masterclass delegates in the very capable hands of my two sous chefs, Jamie and Glen – They both carry bags of knowledge and are great teachers!
In what is still a difficult year for most of us, the participating chefs and chef lecturers really seemed to enjoy the session!”
Jamie and Glen took the delegates through a chocolate tasting to explore the unique profiles, flavour notes and variety of uses across a range of Valrhona chocolates. They then went on to develop a contemporary chocolate and raspberry entremet, using Valrhona’s Manjari chocolate and cake rings supplied by Matfer Bourgeat SHOP THE RANGE HERE!
This event was highly interactive, educational, inspirational and great fun.
Neil Rippington, Educational Director at The Chefs’ Forum hosted the event on Zoom. Neil actually taught Jamie as a student at The Colchester Institute and was delighted to work with him on this.
He said
“Jamie was always an outstanding student and he has now become an excellent pastry chef and chocolatier, now heading-up the UK Pastry Team as President and working at one of the most iconic 2 Michelin-starred properties in the country. It is a huge sense of satisfaction to follow the journey of these young chefs as they climb the ranks of their craft. Jamie did a fantastic job of leading the session with Glen today, demonstrating the entremets and showing what to do with the leftovers to make Gluten Free desert options or afternoon tea.”
Jamie added
“It was great to see so many chef lecturers from various colleges and other chefs from leading kitchens all over the country.
I am overjoyed at being nominated as President of the UK Pastry Team and this event was a great way to celebrate the official announcement yesterday.”
With great presentations from Marie Gonnon, Brand Manager UK & Northern Europe Valrhona, Guillaume Perez, Area Sales Manager, UK, Ireland and Spain at Matfer Bourgeat and Kat Cooper, Director of Mitchell & Cooper, what better way to learn about market leading chocolate, pastry tools and equipment and network and learn new techniques from masters of their craft while lockdown measures are still in place?
The delegates comprised top UK pastry chefs and pastry chef lecturers. All produced a delicious chocolate and raspberry entremet, comprising a chocolate crumble, chocolate sponge, chocolate mousse, raspberry jelly and an imaginative chocolate collar.
The event showcased the fantastic benefits of partnerships between leading industry brands and what great learning opportunities can be developed when like-minded people get together to create something quite simple, executed very, very well indeed.
Mitchell & Cooper, home of Matfer Bourgeat in the UK extends a huge thank you to Marie Gonnon, Brand Manager UK and Europe, Valrhona and Guillaume Perez, UK Sales Manager, Matfer Bourgeat, for their fantastic support in developing and organising the event.
The Chefs’ Forum would also like to thank Jamie and Glen alongside the support of Benoit Blin and the staff at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. To align such talented pâtissiers with chocolate from single harvests of cocoa from the world’s best plantations, together with tools and equipment of the highest quality was, without doubt, a recipe for optimum success.
Delegates for this unique and interactive event received all the specialist ingredients and equipment required to fully participate in the event and produce a replica of Jamie and Glen’s masterpiece. This included:
Valrhona chocolate samples for the tutored tasting:
- Dulcey
- Raspberry Inspiration
- Jivara
- Manjari
- Coeur de Guanaja
For the live cook along:
- Recipe card with extra ingredients to purchase
- Acetate strip for the chocolate band
- 300g Manjari Chocolate
- 10cm and 12cm Matfer Bourgeat cake rings
In addition to a bumper pack of Mitchell & Cooper goodies including:
- Matfer Bourgeat Elvéo spatula
- Mitchell & Cooper Catalogue
- Bonzer barware jigger and tasting spoons
- Alongside a range of other surprise goodies!
Jamie will also be awarding a special prize to the winner of the best entremets of the day – Stay tuned for the stunning results to be showcased on our socials.
To see Jamie and Glen’s entremets recipe and have a go yourself, visit our recipe page here.
Cyrus Todiwala Announces Zest Quest Asia Tilda Challenge Finalists
(London, 10th March) Twelve students from ten colleges across the UK will be advancing to the next stage of the Zest Quest Asia Tilda Challenge, the virtual spin-off to Zest Quest Asia, the national student culinary competition founded by restaurateurs, Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala, with the Master Chefs of Great Britain.
Launched in January 2021 and sponsored by Tilda Foodservice, the Zest Quest Asia Tilda Challenge attracted more than 90 entries from over two dozen colleges. So high was the calibre of submissions that the judges — the Todiwalas, chefs Murray Chapman and Steve Munkley, as well as Jo Witchell of Tilda Foodservice – made the decision to double the number of finalists from the originally planned six to 12. A total of seven cuisines were represented in the beautifully assembled, often complex dishes created by the finalists — Japanese, Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, Korean, and Thai.
Students going forward to the Zest Quest Asia Tilda Challenge finals are: Graciela Baltazar (Bridgwater & Taunton), Joe Cooper (Sheffield), Josh Davies (North Hertfordshire), Luke Harker (West Suffolk College), Oliver Herrington (Sheffield), Jodie McKenna (South Lanarkshire), Sara Szmit (Grimsby Institute), Parichat Tachadee (Cambridge Regional), Brannon Underwood (Loughborough), Julia Willis (New College Durham), Killoran Wills (University College Birmingham), and Todd Woolston (North Hertfordshire).
Cyrus Todiwala said, ‘I would like to congratulate all of our Zest Quest Asia Tilda Challenge finalists. To those who didn’t make it this time, never give up as there will be many other opportunities for you to showcase your talent and ambition. We are proud of you all and it really was a challenge for the judges amid so many spectacular efforts. I want to thank Chef Sey Millington in particular for undertaking the heroic task of helping us to collate all 92 entries from 27 colleges.
‘In terms of the entries themselves, I am delighted that so many students were committed to researching the origins of their dishes and were striving for both creativity and authenticity. We’ve come a long way since we launched Zest Quest Asia with the aim of raising the profile of Asian cookery as a career for aspiring student chefs. Personally, it is deeply rewarding to see budding chefs from so many colleges in the UK start to unearth and embrace the mysteries and challenges of Asian cookery and cuisine. That their tutors continue to take a keen interest in this subject area bodes well for the future of catering education.’
Annette Coggins, Head of Foodservice, Tilda UK said, ‘Inspiring student chefs has always been a passion of Tilda’s. To see so many well thought out entries following the tutorials has been fantastic to see. We are so glad that despite the challenges of the past year, the spirit and determination of the next generation of chefs has not been diminished. We’re excited for the final and to see how our finalists can show us their exploration of all the wonderful possibilities of Tilda rice and Asian cuisine!’
The finalists will now compete at a live, on-line cook-off to be held in the kitchens of their respective colleges on 31st March 2021.
Jamie Houghton Announced as the President of the UK Pastry Team at The Pastry World Cup
PASTRY WORLD CUP POSTPONEMENT – NEW DATES 24th & 25th of September 2021 in Lyon.
Due to the current health situation that the world is still facing over a year now, the organization of Sirha Lyon has decided to reschedule the 2021 edition of the show that will be held from Thursday 23rd to Monday 27th September, in Eurexpo Lyon (France). Consequently, the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie will take place from Friday 24th to Saturday 25th September 2021.
The Bocuse d’Or competition will be held straight after on Sunday 26th and Monday 27th of September.
2020 was obviously marked by the COVID-19 crisis. The organizers as well as the competitors were forced to adapt the selection rules to local health constraints and event cancellations. While the European continental selection was the only one to be held in January 2020 in Paris, all the other selections were made on points and based on the podiums of 2018.
The 20 teams now qualified for the 2021 Pastry World Cup are ALGERIA, ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, CHILE, CHINA, EGYPT, FRANCE, ITALY, JAPAN, KUWAIT, MALAYSIA, MEXICO, MOROCCO, RUSSIA, SINGAPORE, SOUTH KOREA, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, TAIWAN and UK.
Chaired by Pierre Hermé with the help of Claire Heitzler and Frédéric Cassel (Vice – President) and managed by an entirely renewed International Organization Committee, the Pastry World Cup created more than 30 years ago is an unmissable event that celebrates excellence, passion and the transmission of know-how between generation while at the same time it encourages innovation.
UK TEAM 2021
TEAM PRESIDENT – Jamie HOUGHTON – Pastry Sous Chef at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’saisons
Chef Houghton is a creative and talented pastry chef with many accolades, including having captained the UK team at the Pastry World Cup in 2019. The team were placed 5th overall and he won the Best Sugar Display Cup. Working at high levels of quality in a supervisory role, including 7 years at 2 Michelin star level, he always works to the best of his ability. He is a determined and committed worker who is eager to extend his knowledge and aptitudes. He considers his teamwork skills and practical skills to be particular strengths.
He has also participated in several pastry competitions in UK and in France. The Annual Awards of Excellence in 2014, the UK Junior Sugar Championships (he achieved first place) in 2014, and the Stéphane Glacier National trophies of Sugar Art in 2015 where he took third place.
SUGAR CATEGORY – Nicolas HOUCHET – Deputy Head of Pastry at Le Cordon Bleu, London
Born in Nancy, France, Pastry chef for 22 years, he studied pâtisserie for 5 years as an apprentice at Restaurant Hammerer where he trained under an award-winning mentor, Jean Claude Hammerer (Pastry Chef of the year 2000). After working in 5-star hotel, Chef Nicolas travelled to England where he set up his own pâtisserie: Macaron – that won the TimeOut Best London Pâtisserie 2006. He has been teaching at LCB London since 2010 and has been candidate in competitions in the UK Pastry Open in 2017 and 2020, selected as reserve sugar candidate for the Pastry World Cup in 2019.
CHOCOLATE CATEGORY – Michael, HO LAM KWAN – Head Pastry Chef at Hotel Café Royal, London
Michael Kwan has over 14 years of experience in the industry. He started his career as an apprentice in Hong Kong where he also earned his Diploma in Hotel Culinary Management. After working at Island Shangri-La Hong Kong, he moved to London to pursue his passion. He started to work at Ladurée, after which he accumulated experiences working at various Michelin starred restaurants, including The Fat Duck and Hakkasan, and is currently the Head Pastry Chef at the five-star Hotel Cafe Royal in London. Michael is meticulous and smart with his methods, detailed oriented and ingenious with his pastry creations.
Michael has taken parts in numerous completions and proven himself on the world stage. He represented the UK team in the Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie in 2019 as the president while the team finished 5th and won the Best Sugar Piece. Also, he won the UK Sugar Championship 2019.
ICE CATEGORY and TEAM CAPTAIN – Chris SEDDON – Executive Pastry Chef at Qoot co.
Chris has worked for a number of London’s high-class hotels, including the likes of Claridges, the Savoy and the Connaught.
Experiences working with talented pastry chefs, pulling all the pieces together whilst adding his own touch have allowed him to go on to head the pastry operations at Coutt Bank, Yauatcha and Dominique Ansel.
He was also part of the UK Pastry team in 2019 that reached 5th place in the world at the Pastry World Cup which was the UK’s highest finishing position, with the ice piece he carved placed 2nd.
Credit photo: Jodi Hinds
The Chefs’ Forum has Been Awarded a Silver Industry Excellence Partnership Award by The Manchester College
The awards recognise and accredit employer partners for their commitment to the work-readiness of young people studying at The Manchester College.
Speaking about the award Employment Engagement Leader Hilary Orr said:
“With The Chefs Forum being such a valued partner of the college and in recognition of your ongoing support I would like to award you with the Silver Award.”
Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum, said:
“We are delighted and truly honoured to have been awarded a Silver Industry Excellence Award by The Manchester College. The Manchester College is one of five UK Colleges running The Chefs’ Forum Academy. This sees top industry professionals and esteemed chefs teach the students at the college or virtually of late.
We can’t wait to send chefs into the college once more and are very much looking forward to staging a virtual open day for local feeder schools (albeit virtually) on the 11th May.”
The Chefs’ Forum wholly supports The Manchester College with curriculum enrichment and employer engagement and will continue to promote it as one of the country’s leading colleges for hospitality and catering.
Any chefs or front of house professionals from Manchester and surrounds, who would like to enquire about joining The Chefs’ Forum Academy and forging links with the college should contact rebecca@redcherry.uk.com
Asian Restaurant Owners Network Takes Third Annual ARON Awards Show Virtual
The awards place an emphasis on transparency by recognising eateries with #GenuineMerit, something they reinforce with winners that are chosen by mystery shopping the establishments.
9th March, 2021 – A year later than originally planned, the Asian Restaurant Owners Network held their 3rd Annual ARON Awards Show on March 8th, this =me as a virtual event. The ARON team cancelled the original venue last March due to the pandemic, but felt it was important to hold the event virtually to keep businesses informed of industry trends and highlight some of what the hospitality industry has endured and accomplished in the last year.
For many restaurants, the last year has been extremely tough. Business owners were forced by the pandemic to navigate uncharted waters with no real end in sight. The ARON Awards gave restaurants an opportunity to shine and be recognised for their achievements during the difficult year. As always, the entrants were judged through ARON’s uniquely transparent process of mystery shopping the establishments. According to the ARON MD Rehan Uddin, ‘I place genuine merit achievements at the forefront of the process.’
Unlike other awards which require payment for entry, the ARON Awards is completely free, ensuring ‘a fair and equal platform to support and inspire the future of the industry.’
Restaurants and takeout businesses from across the country entered the awards. Each of the 11 categories were narrowed down to the final three choices in each area. During the live online awards show, members of the network listened as winners shared stories of their successes and the contributions that they made to their local communities in the last year.
Tambapanni, a Sri Lankan street food eatery that dramatically reduced their carbon footprint, went on to win the WOW (Works of Wonder) award and received a £500 ARON eco-grant to help further their work and encourage others.
Rational AG, the world leaders in combi oven technology, picked up the Asian Tech Style award for their commitment to kitchen technology. The company’s iCombi Pro oven is widely regarded as the future of tandoori cooking. During the awards ceremony, they shared a video that showcased the entire tandoori cooking process, which normally takes between 15 to 20 minutes, completed in under 6 minutes. Attendees described it as “a true revolution for Asian Hospitality.”
In addition, Ranie Sirah, Head Chef and owner of, Jah Jyot was the night’s double champion, taking home both the Rising Star award and the Best Street Food award.
The winners included: Best Restaurant – Spice Valley Norwich; Best Chef – Taj Tandoori Cambridge; Best Events Caterer – Blue Lotus Inspirations London; Best Concept – Thakers Houslow; Rising Star – Ranie Sirah’s Jah Jyot Leeds; Most Inspirational – Garima Poddar Birmingham; Best Takeaway – Home Curries Lincoln; Asian Tech Style – Rational AG; Best Customer Service – Horsham Tandoori; Best Street Food – Ranie Sirah’s Jah Jyot Leeds
The entire award show can be viewed on the Asian Restaurant Owners Network Facebook page. Communities are encouraged to show support for the winners by following them on social media and patronising the eateries as they push forward to improve on their already high standards.
Buy Local Think Global Theme for Third Pork from Wales Week
Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales’ third consecutive Porc from Wales Week has been successful in raising the profile of Welsh reared Porc.
Under the theme ‘Buy Local. Think Global’ the week-long campaign partnered with leading chefs and influencers to create a range of internationally inspired pork dishes. This is the third time that HCC has run the campaign to encourage shoppers to purchase local pork from Wales.
Leading Welsh restauranteur and food critic, Simon Wright was brought on board as an ambassador and produced an exclusive Porc Belly Cubano recipe for the campaign. In addition to the Cuban-inspired dish, other food bloggers contributed to the ‘Buy Local. Think Global’ campaign by producing exclusive recipes inspired by international cuisine, such as a Chinese inspired Porc Bao Bun, Korean inspired Porc Bulgogi and Caribbean inspired Porc medallions.
HCC’s Market Development Officer, Kirstie Jones, explained ‘International-inspired food has grown in popularity over the last few years and in this campaign we looked to create a range of exciting recipes which fuse together global cuisines with delicious and high quality Porc from Wales.’
‘In addition to working with chefs and foodie influencers, we also worked with pork producers and butchers who also came together over Porc from Wales Week to share their favourite cuts and recipes on social media.’
Wayne Hayward of Puff Pigs, based near Mountain Ash in south Wales, sells high quality pork in the south Wales area and commented ‘As pork producers ourselves, we are passionate about providing high quality, traceable, local pork to shoppers. It’s great to see locally reared pork from Wales being given the platform it deserves through Porc from Wales Week.’
Further information about pork from Wales, recipes and where to purchase can be found at www.porcblasus.cymru
