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
Pubs in Uproar Over Planning for Marquees & Temporary Shelters
Pubs across the country are fearing that local councils will sting them for outdoor planning permission in the build up to the end of lockdown in April.
From April 12 pubs and outlets can offer a takeaway menu and customers can sit outside but some places have been asked to pay for planning permission to put up marquees and temporary shelters.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick urged councils to cut the red tape to help the struggling pubs industry, which supports 900,000 jobs. He told The Mail on Sunday: “We’re all looking forward to seeing pubs, cafes and restaurants open again. I’m determined we don’t let red tape get in the way of a great British summer.”
Mel Green, manager of the Black Bull pub in Otley, North Yorkshire is afraid she will have to stay shut until May following a bill for £234. This was for permission for a temporary shelter in her beer garden although the structure consists of just plastic sheeting over the top of old beer barrels. Leeds City Council officials declared permission was needed because The Black Bull is situated in a conservation area.
“It’s just another thing on the list of things to deal with,” Mel told The Mail on Sunday: “Surely you can’t get more in keeping with the conservation of an old pub than beer barrels? I wouldn’t know where to start with planning permission, I’m a publican.”
Georgette Way, landlady of the Cheltenham Motor Club real ale bar, revealed she faces a £600 bill to put up a wooden pagoda covering four tables in her car park. At the same time, pubs and restaurants in Central London are receiving £100 bills following a Westminster Council decision to force businesses to re-apply for pavement licences.
Greg Mulholland, of the Campaign for Pubs, said: “Landlords are tearing their hair out.
“They can’t understand why they are being forced to fill out forms and jump through these ridiculous hoops at a time when they are facing oblivion.”
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, called for a suspension of red tape. “We urge councils to have a bit of common sense and take a pragmatic view to relax the rules,” she said. “We need to get the economy moving and we can’t afford to let needless red tape get in the way.”
If a solution can be found to all this, we can recommend these brilliant pop-up Eco bars from Global Vending solutions.
CEO Joseph Burke said
“I do hope the government comes to the rescue and supports the pub sector as it prepares to reopen. We’ve been working hard with our development team to ensure we’re ahead of the curve for 2021. In fact, we’ve road tested our latest outdoor hybrid bars in 2020 with 6 David Lloyd Clubs around the country. The feedback was excellent from both the client and David Lloyd club members alike.
We’re excited to work on future projects with our global clients and bring your ideas to life.
Our latest ‘Eco Bar’ requires zero power – it has a 24-hour ice bank and can be located in any part of your venue. This is unique to us and is available now. We ship globally and fast.”
For more information on eco bars and other outdoor drinks vending solutions visit www.globalvendingsolutions.com
Fred Sirieix at Wormwood Scrubs
Fred Sirieix has announced he is to open a second prison-based restaurant. Following the success of the first, opened by his charity The Right Course, at HMP Isis in Thamesmead he will now open a similar restaurant at Wormwood Scrubs.
The Right Course is a charity set up by Fred Sirieix to train up prisoners in hospitality and give them the skills they need to get jobs upon release from prison. The venues are opened in what were prison staff restaurants and are operated as of they were on the high street.
Fred said on Twitter: “Very excited to announce the opening of our 2nd The Right Course #charity #restaurant @ HMP Wormwood #Scrubs in early April.”
The Wormwood Scrubs project will feature both a coffee shop and a full table service restaurant. Fred explained: “The aim is to ensure offenders learn the skills and values of hospitality so that upon release they can gain employment thus reducing re-offending (currently about 50%) and helping to solve the skills and staff shortage in the restaurant hospitality business.”
Prisoners can get the chance to cook alongside chefs from some of London’s elite restaurants. Chefs who have taken part so far include Jose Pizarro, Chris Galvin and Joo Won (Galvin at Windows).
Positive News For Hospitality From Budget Announcement Yesterday
There has been a positive reaction in hospitality to the budget announced yesterday. The hospitality sector received the good news of an extension to the business rates holiday through to the end of June as well as news of a new restart grant up to £18,000 which will be introduced from next month.
VAT applied to food both eat-in and takeaway will remain at 5% for a further six months until the 30th September. The same applies to accommodation and attractions. After this date the rate will rise to 12.5% for a further six months.
Alcohol duty will be frozen for a further year. Businesses will be expected to start contributing 10% of employees’ wages towards the furlough scheme from July, and then 20% in August and September.
Chancellor Sunak said in his speech:
“We’re going long, extending our support well beyond the end of the roadmap to accommodate even the most cautious view about the time it might take to exit the restrictions.”
The government is doubling incentive payments to businesses to £3,000 for all new apprentice hires of any age, alongside investing £126m in traineeships. Bounceback and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan schemes will be replaced with a new recovery loan scheme. Businesses of any size can apply for loans from £25,000 up to £10m through to the end of this year, and the government will provide a guarantee to lenders of up to 80%.
From April 2021 this will cut companies’ tax bill by 25p for every pound they invest in new equipment, which Sunak described as “the biggest business tax cut in modern British history”.
Matthew Brend, Director at Brend Group (Brend Hotels) commented on Twitter:
“Considering the level of borrowing, @RishiSunak has again shown his support to hospitality with the announced VAT cut extension, rates holiday & other measures. He had us sweating for a minute, but he’s come through with some much-needed support to help the industry rebuild.”
What do you think of the budget? Let us know.
Get your Pub Kitchen Ready by Investing in the Future Now!
There has never been a more important time than now for pubs to understand how kitchen technology can pay serious dividends as the hospitality sector begins to open up and the first customers start to return.
Starting this month in partnership with The Chefs’ Forum Rational are serving up 5, 45 minute webinar demonstrations, called Rational Pubs Live online to explain and reveal how their latest equipment can change the way your kitchen operates.
Why this is a big deal and why you should definitely tune in
By combining the Rational cooking systems, with the iVario Pro and iCombi Pro, 95% of all conventional cooking applications can be achieved whilst at the same time achieving space savings of up to 40%
By attending the Pubs Live online webinar, you can discover how to use the Rational cooking systems and deliver a return on your investment. You will also learn how to maximise your energy output, increase production, reduce cooking time and, most importantly produce consistent, high-quality dishes with minimum effort.
To celebrate the launch of the Pub Live online programme, Rational is offering £325 worth of free accessories* to any attendees who purchase an iCombi Pro and/or iVario Pro cooking system following the event.
Do something wholly worthwhile today and call Rebecca Saunders to book onto the session on 07710 637917 or email rebecca@redcherry.uk.com There are plenty of dates to choose from and it promises to be forty-five minutes very well spent!
Event Dates:
- Thursday 11th March – 2.30-3.30pm
- Tuesday 16th March – 10-11am
- Wednesday 17th March – 2.30-3.30pm
- Tuesday 23rd March – 2.30-3.30pm
- Monday 29th March – 2.30-3.30pm
* Terms & Conditions apply
Hope Kitchen: Chef Dale Spink Thinks “It’s Time to go Back to the Old-School Ways”
Private chef and restaurateur Dale Spink has teamed up with Vulnerable Citizen Support to start Hope Kitchen. A gourmet soup kitchen with a mission to deliver hundreds of meals to families (or anyone) in need across Leeds.
The first menu, which went live on 1st March 2021, included starters of butternut squash and ham, pea, and leek soups; mains of roast chicken and chilli con carne, and lemon sponge and custard for dessert. The menus will change each week according to which ingredients are available, many of which come as donations from local businesses, including the veg store Sutcliffe’s and Harvey’s Quality Family Butchers, both in Farsley.
THE BEGINNING OF A CHARITABLE FRIENDSHIP
But where did the idea all start? Dale’s relationship with Vulnerable Citizen Support began in November 2020, when he offered to donate some leftover meals from his company D’s Meal Prep.
“We always overdo the orders just in case we’ve missed any,” Dale explained. “And instead of tarnishing the value of the product and selling it at 50%, I thought, ‘Why can’t we support a local charity?’
“So then they messaged me one night saying they do an outreach midweek. Going around the streets of Leeds with hot food. And they asked me if I could cook meals for them. I said, ‘Not a problem’. I’d been wanting to do it for ages. And then I went and served it with them.”
At Hope Kitchen, hot meals are delivered across the LS12 and LS13 districts, while the rest are shipped out in food parcels across Leeds. Or otherwise to referral centres and food banks, ensuring that no food goes to waste.
And what has the response been like in Hope Kitchen’s first outing? Falling slightly short of their 500-meal target with 470, Dale still says, “It was a good start”. The venture even attracted the attention of MasterChef’s Matt Healy.
“It’s gone massive – it’s fantastic,” said Dale. “The warming messages and people were getting in contact actually needing the meals. And then the support and interest for donations for the food banks has gone up. Overall, it has helped the charity move forward to where it wants to be.”
“FOOD IS HOPE”
Hope Kitchen gets its name from the company maxim: “Food is Hope”. Something that Dale hopes will prompt people to look out for each other again.
“With COVID, and everyone struggling financially, I think it’s time to go back to the old-school ways where you support anyone around you, rather than being selfish,” he explained.
“The main thing at Hope Kitchen is to make sure that every meal is a proper meal, and it tastes nice. A lot of slop gets sent to the homeless, or ingredients that are donated just get thrown together. That’s why I tried to structure a menu. Mental health is a massive thing now. And I want people, when they eat something, to feel like they’ve been thought about. We don’t just put it in a tub; we’ll plate it up, so it looks presentable. So that when you open it, it’s more than just a meal.”
Dale revealed how he means to increase his target by 10-20% each week, beginning with 700 meals next week. In addition, he has been contacting local primary schools to see if they will allow themselves to be used as collection points.
“The hardest thing in this modern era is people admitting they need help,” Dale said, “So if we can create a place where they can do it discretely… where we can set up a fridge and they can just grab what they need… it’d be fantastic.”
FINGERS IN ALL PIES
Hope Kitchen is just one of a number of ventures on Dale’s plate. He entered the catering world on work experience aged just 13, after the dream of becoming a professional footballer went south. From an apprenticeship at La Rue in Saltaire, he now heads D’s Meal Prep, as well as Le Voyage, a private dining event, and The High Bar Café at Nile Wilson’s Gymnastics.
Furthermore, his first restaurant, Brontaè’s, is set to open in Horsforth in May. So how does he juggle all this, with the responsibility of fatherhood added on top?
“It starts at home, really,” he said. “My partner is fantastic – she takes the biggest weight off my shoulders. She understands where I want to be and where we want to be as a family. We’ve grown up on council estates ourselves, and we want to be better for our daughter.
“And then the restaurant came about. It’s been a dream of mine forever. Since that first week, I think I said, ‘I’ll have a restaurant one day’. And as a family, we always say, ‘We will’. If you’re positive-minded, you will get your results. So that’s what I try to do, and what we try to drill into our daughter as well. ‘No one can tell you ‘no’.’
“One of the main reasons I got Brontaè’s was I got told I was too young to be a Head Chef at 23. And I thought, ‘That’s just systematic’. Who can say that you’re too young? If I’m going to put the effort in, and put myself in an uncomfortable situation to learn, then I’m surely ready. And now I have four businesses.”
For the success of Hope Kitchen so far, Dale had a number of thankyous to give for their help and support:
“Haydn Lee leads the charity, doing absolutely fantastic work, and he doesn’t take credit for it like he should. He’s the reason the charity is where it is. Jason Stockings helped me get D’s Meal Prep to where it is, so I can’t thank him enough. Plus all my team at Meal Prep. And my family. We’ve been through a tough time with COVID, and they’ve stuck by me and my mental health. Finally, anyone who’s volunteering or donated, such as Sutcliffe’s at Farsley, Harvey’s Butchers, Neils Catering Division… anyone who’s even liked or shared. Because it takes it an extra mile.”
Hope Kitchen is delivering hot meals to anyone who needs them within the LS12 and LS13 areas on Mondays. Dale Spink’s restaurant and bar Brontaè’s is due to open on 17th May.
Top Local Chefs Celebrate Amazing Local Produce in Poultry Focus at Dart Fresh HQ
On Thursday 25th February, Dart Fresh HQ in Exeter played host to a series of socially-distanced, Covid-safe cookery demos to showcase the fabulous range of local poultry and fine ingredients.
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.
Second generation costermonger and Director John Pritchard was delighted to host a day of culinary excellence and really enjoyed working with the visiting chefs showcasing his produce. He said
“This is a great chance to showcase the journey of where we’ve come from as a fruit and veg company in 1957 working with the supermarkets to becoming and all-encompassing foodservice company and now introducing an online home delivery offer with the onset of the pandemic, which is proving really popular.”
This was the second of a series of culinary focus days to be held at the depot 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.
Some of the produce used included Beechridge Farm Poultry, Truefoods fresh stock, Burren Balsamics apple infused white condiment, Foie Royale, Truffle Hunter truffle sea salt and the finest fresh seasonal vegetables from local growers across Devon.
The Chefs’ Forum demo stage played host to the demos using wonderful fresh produce and the visiting chefs enjoyed using some of the finest kitchen equipment available: Locher Induction hobs, Valentine Fryer from Cuisinequip, Adande Refrigerated draw units for mis-en-place and a Falcon convection oven, all mounted on a custom-built stainless steel counter unit. It is this mobile chef kitchen that has been the star of the show at many food festivals and corporate events and so it was great to put it to good use creating recipe films while The Chefs’ Forum is unable to do its usual shows and events – Let’s hope these can resume once restrictions are lifted?!
Charlotte Vincent, Head Chef of The Five Bells (Clyst Hydon), Slawomir Drozdzalski Executive Chef of Puffing Billy (Exton) & Blue Ball and Werner Hartholt, Development Chef at Butlins Minehead, part of the Bourne Leisure Group were invited down to the depot in Marsh Barton (Exeter) to cook their signature dishes on a purpose-built stage.
Charlotte Vincent was first up on The Chefs’ Forum demo stage (sadly without an audience due to current restrictions) to create a film of her signature recipe:
Beechridge Farm free range duck breast with Foie Royale (the ethical alternative to foie gras), fresh blackberries, preserved blackberry gel, seasonal greens and Charlotte’s special veal stock, five spice and recurrent reduction.
Charlotte said
“It was great to visit Dart Fresh as one of my favourite suppliers. John Pritchard is always so supportive of everything I do and it is great to see where all the magic happens in supplying me with all I need for ‘The Five Bells At Home’. My home meal kits prepared at The Five Bells have proved a real hit with our customers throughout both lockdowns. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, I cook a three-course menu that customers collect in a box from The Five Bells and finish at home with my detailed instructions.”
Next up was Slaw and his partner Anne-Marie Rice joined forces to cook a duo of dishes on the demo stage; Slaw, a chef recipe and Anne-Marie a home-cooked family dish for the home delivery customers to garner inspiration.
Slaw cooked a Cornish Smoked sea salt potato croquette with Beechridge free range duck breast, pak choi and sweet potato purée. Slaw expertly blow-torched the duck skin to achieve a crispy finish which went so well with the succulent breast meat.
He said
I think this is some of the best duck breast I have ever eaten and to know its from a farm just a few miles down the road is fantastic news! I have worked all around the world and pride myself on preparing fine food with global influence. It was great to play with excellent ingredients at Dart Fresh today and great that Anne-Marie could join in and have some fun cooking which made a change from her profession as a sports therapist!”
Anne-Marie’s dish was comparatively simple to create, but extremely flavoursome. It was Grenadine chicken with rice and kidney beans – A wholesome and hearty dish using local free range Beechridge Farm chicken to feed a family at home. Dart fresh have a thriving home delivery business and this recipe will be used to create a recipe card for the home cook.
Werner then rounded-up a day of brilliant cookery demos with his favourite dish of Lontong Ayam Seku, an Indonesian speciality of compressed sticky rice, Beechridge Farm chicken cooked in coconut sauce with a tomato sambal and stir-fried vegetables.
He was delighted to have been invited to Dart Fresh HQ to see the extensive range of local produce on offer, he said
“It was great to be able to cook with such high quality locally-sourced chicken, this dish is absolutely delicious and was made even better with the excellent ingredients provided. It is always fantastic to meet local suppliers and see their operations when sourcing ingredients for our busy kitchens. In normal peak times we do over ten thousand meals per day at Butlins in Minehead, so it was a brilliant opportunity to have a socially-distanced tour of the depot and meet the team behind Dart Fresh in advance of my return to work next week.”
Next month’s culinary focus day will see an emphasis on butchery showcasing top quality Dartmoor beef and lamb 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
