Masterchef Winner, Simon Wood Joins Forces with The Manchester College for a Virtual Hospitality Industry Taster Event!

Following the launch of The Chefs’ Forum in Manchester last year, The Manchester College is to stage a virtual hospitality industry taster event on Microsoft Teams while social distancing restrictions are still in place. Prospective students will be treated to a pre-recorded cookery demo from Simon, as well as an interactive Chefs’ Quiz and a Q&A session with Simon Wood, college lecturers and students.

Simon Wood (Woods Restaurants) is Patron of The Chefs Forum Academy at The Manchester College, which sees top chefs coming into the college on a weekly basis to deliver guest lecturers to students in their usual working environment.

Simon is set to host a session in the College’s ‘Couch to College’ event on Wednesday (15) July, (1-2.30pm). Participants will enjoy a film of Simon’s Steak and Onion Yorkshire Pudding Wrap and enjoy an interactive Q&A session with him, which will follow.

Potential students are invited to join college lecturers as they showcase the college, its world class facilities, course options and The Chefs’ Forum Academy.

This will be a fantastic opportunity for the prospective students to learn all about courses offered at the college in professional cookery, front of house and technical patisserie and confectionary, as well as curriculum enrichment and employer engagement opportunities offered to students at the college.

Simon said

“I am delighted to have been asked to participate in this virtual event.  It just shows haw the college is adapting to the ‘new normal’, while continuing to promote its fantastic facilities and courses offered at the college. I look forward to welcoming students back into my restaurant once restrictions are lifted and, in the meantime, I am so grateful to be able to help inspire budding young chefs and hospitality professionals to join our fantastic industry.”

The Manchester College is the only college in the north of the UK to be working with The Chefs’ Forum Academy and this makes it a really attractive choice for any young person wanting to learn from the very best chefs in the industry.

Newly published Government National Achievement Rates Tables (NARTs) position the college as number one for overall achievements rates in Greater Manchester.

Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum will present The Chefs’ Forum Academy during the virtual event and talk about why The Manchester College is a fantastic choice for young people hoping to pursue a career in the hospitality industry. She said

“The weekly Chefs’ Forum Academy masterclasses, in normal times, involve top local chefs and front of house experts coming into the college to give a compelling and inspirational course of study throughout the academic year, culminating in work experience opportunities at the participating properties and businesses. This virtual taster event with Simon will showcase the top-level chefs being invited into the college to teach the students from September onwards, whether remotely, or in person if restrictions are lifted.”

Here’s a film of our launch at the college last January so you can see the sort of work we are doing with the college to bridge the gap between education and industry:

All chefs taking part wholeheartedly support The Chefs’ Forum Academy and all have previously worked with students at The Manchester College in the college kitchens as part of The Chefs’ Forum Academy scheme of learning.  The chefs come to the college each week and take a three-hour master class to enrich the learning of the students in line with the subjects they are required to learn to achieve their qualification.

At the same time as learning new skills, cooking techniques and recipes, the students are forging relationships with the visiting chefs which will help them in their efforts to find work on leaving college as the chefs will already be familiar to them.  Many learners get offered part time work whilst still in college – This serves to make them more work-ready and enables them to get work experience whilst studying – A win-win situation for all involved.

The Chefs’ Forum Academy also operates in West London College, Gloucestershire College, Bath College, Coleg Gwent and Pembrokeshire College with further colleges set to adopt this fantastic programme of curriculum enrichment later this year.  The Chefs’ Forum serves to bridge the gap between education and industry, inspiring young chefs and front-of-house professionals.

The Chefs’ Forum Academy will continue to offer ‘virtual curriculum enrichment’ across all colleges whilst social distancing restrictions are in place and look forward to being able to deliver practical masterclasses in the college once permitted.

Any potential students wishing to participate in the virtual Hospitality Industry Taster Event with Simon Wood and the Manchester College should register via the following link: https://www.tmc.ac.uk/couch-to-college/

Introducing the NEW iVario 2-XS – The intelligent Space Saver by Rational for Smaller Kitchens

Rational is now revolutionising smaller kitchens with the new iVario 2-XS. The two-pan cooking system, which works with contact heat and takes on routine tasks is extremely productive even in small spaces. The cornerstone is iVarioBoost the first intelligent energy management system, which regulates the heat over the entire surface and has sufficient reserve capacity to sear 4.5kg of casserole meat in 6.5 minutes including the preheating phase. The cooking intelligence iCookingSuite detects the condition and size of the food and regulates the cooking path so that you only need to intervene if the cooking system calls. The iVario 2-XS consists of two pans each with a 2/3 GN base surface and a 17-litre capacity. The unit comes with a full package of accessories, so that excellent results are achieved from the very first minute.

“Boiling, pan-frying and deep-frying on a small surface, powerful, precise and flexible, that was our objective in the development of the iVario 2-XS,” explains Simon Lohse, Managing Director, Rational UK.  “For businesses with small kitchens on a limited budget that want to serve high quality results that their customers require, the iVario intelligent technology will provide a solution,” he continues.

The small unit with iVarioBoost heats up to 200° in less than 2 minutes and has enough reserve capacity to sear even larger quantities without the release of liquids. The heat is distributed so evenly and it is regulated so quickly that even delicate foods such as rice pudding do not stick or boil over. iVarioBoost consists of patented ceramic heating elements, which are firmly attached to the scratch-resistant pan base and evenly distributed. This makes the iVario 2-XS 4 times faster and consumes 40% less electricity compared to conventional technology.

The iCookingSuite, which is the cooking intelligence, is responsible for ensuring consistent cooking results. Sensors detect the quantity and condition of the food, and regulate the cooking parameters accordingly so that the desired result can be achieved without the user having to do much. “The iVario Pro eliminates the need for checking and monitoring,” explains Lohse. One example is the AutoLift, the automatic raising and lowering mechanism, which automatically raises and lowers the food from and into the cooking liquid.

To guarantee maximum flexibility on a small surface, the iVario 2-XS has two pans which can be heated differently. The display in the middle of the cooking system is clearly arranged so that the user can view both pans at the same time. In addition to the operating modes for meat, fish, poultry or side dishes, the user can now select cooking methods such as frying pan or deep-fat fryer.

Its ergonomy is also revolutionary. With the corresponding stand, the iVario 2-XS is height-adjustable, the corners are rounded and the pan edge stays cold. Since nothing sticks, it is easy to clean, in approximately two minutes. Various setup variations such as integration in a kitchen line, on the worktop or the stand make the cooking system extremely adaptable.

The iVario 2-XS comes with a full package of accessories including the arm for the automatic raising and lowering function, boiling and deep-frying basket, spatula, pan base grid and sieve.

Anyone who would like to discover more about the new cooking system can now convince themselves of its performance in the online webinar More Tour 2020. Interested parties will soon be able to experience the iVario 2-XS also live at the More Tour 2020, the dates will be available on rational-online.com

Hospitality Reopening Guidance and What it Means to Chefs’ Forum Members

The long-awaited guidance on restaurant, hotels, accommodation and leisure businesses reopening has now been published in readiness for the 4^th July.

We have seen varying reactions overnight to Boris Johnson’s announcement yesterday.  Some restaurants welcoming it with open arms, others worried about the short time frame to get everything ready for a Covid-secure return and the remainder making announcements that they were going to wait a bit longer to see what happens before deciding to reopen.

Suppliers too have met the announcement with mixed feelings, as many haven’t been paid since February and are now expected to continue supplying accounts that have fallen behind with payments.

For our Colleges, the news has been very well-received indeed.  Denise Charles, Head of Curriculum for Service Industries at West London College said

“This is fabulous news. Personally, I’m looking forward to going out to dinner again – I have really missed this during Lockdown.  Hopefully this means that when College fully-reopens in September, our students can go into a realistic working environment once more and we can look forward to welcoming industry experts from The Chefs’ Forum Academy back into the college to deliver guest lectures and masterclasses as part of our curriculum enrichment programme.”

The report, which can be found here, contains advice around social distancing for workers, cleaning, PPE, face covering and managing customers.

On the introduction of table service, the report encourages the use of contactless ordering from tables where possible, for example through an ordering app.

It suggests “adjusting table service approaches to minimise staff contact with customers” and states: “Indoor table service must be used where possible, alongside measures such as assigning a single staff member per table. Outdoor table service should also be encouraged, although customers are permitted to stand outside if distanced properly.”

The Chefs’ Forum has been working with Yoello an online ordering system that completely meets contactless ordering guidelines. Get in touch today to see how Yoello can fit into your existing system from as little as £1.30 per day. Click here for more information.

Yoello Non-Executive Director, Scott Waddington (ex CEO of SA Brains) said

“The hospitality industry has been one of the worst affected sectors owing to the Covid-19 crisis and resulting social restrictions. The sector is responsible for employing millions of people whose jobs are now in serious jeopardy, particularly as the industry is amongst the last to be able to resume operating. Yoello’s mission has always been to be at the forefront of helping the hospitality sector innovate through technology. We are now able to provide the sector with the urgent support that it needs.”

Where bar or counter service is unavoidable, operators are asked to prevent customers from remaining at the bar or counter after ordering.

Jason Mead, Director at Hyde & Co Group in Bristol has adopted Yoello at his larger sites with outdoor areas, set to be reopened on the 4^th July, he said

“At the same time as we’re looking forward to reopening, we realise that the whole service experience is going to be very different indeed. We will be releasing a manifesto outlining our planned changes and adaptations to cope with new government guidelines. The benefits of the Yoello contactless ordering system are less contact between staff and guests, speed of ordering and paying, fewer physical menus and more opportunity to notify you of any news from our sites if you should choose to opt-in.”

Many other hospitality industry professionals have said that they are worried about the 4^th July falling on the busiest night of the week for restaurants – A Saturday night!

We will be following the progress of all of our members through this period of adjustment and change and would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our friends, colleagues and sponsors all the very best as they move into this next chapter.  Please get in touch if you would like help or advice on any element outlined in the article above.

YOELLO OFFER **Special Chefs’ Forum Member Discount** 20% OFF for 12 Months – Enter the code CFORUM20 in the CONTACT form HERE and Yoello will be in touch!

Yoello are offering a FREE guide on re-opening your business safely with mobile ordering – click here

Lockdown didn’t mean ‘Shutdown’ for Walter Rose & Son – Here’s how they dealt with Covid-19

On the 20^th March 2020, Boris Johnson took the extraordinary step of ordering pubs, hotels and restaurants to close.  This meant that Walter Rose & Son, market-leading catering butchers based in Devizes would lose 97% of their trade overnight.

In normal times, Walter Rose deliver to top chefs all over the country with a fleet of refrigerated vans, from Manchester to Devon and everywhere in between.  They even deliver meat to the south of France to service chefs on superyachts destined for Monaco and St Tropez!

All was not lost however, as they quickly built on their existing, lesser-known home delivery service and immediately invested in a temporary e-commerce website, immediately able to cope with the huge upsurge in online sales of meat that ensued during the pandemic and continues daily.  The final version of the new website is set to launch imminently.

Walter Rose & Son is surviving the pandemic in delivering top quality, locally- sourced meat that was destined for the finest kitchens all over the country to people in their homes in a contactless transaction.  They also pivoted to sell other essentials like pasta, flour and bread, when the supermarkets had none and it was nigh-on impossible to secure a delivery slot.

New retail statistics have shown that consumers in their thousands have turned to high street butchers during the current pandemic.

The enforced closure of hotels and restaurants posed a huge threat to the award-winning national catering butchers, but they soldiered-on regardless and can now boast a healthy online trade, great shop sales from the retail shop and are delighted to see hotels and restaurants now placing orders for take away services, as well a preparing for re-opening on the 4^th July.

Water Rose and Son innovated with new ways of serving customers during the pandemic. They have adapted their Devizes butchers’ shop and deli to ensure social distancing and have also successfully implemented ‘collect from shop’ and online ordering services.  Walter Rose & Son are proud to continue to deliver meat to the door, providing to vulnerable customers with a lifeline.

Walter Rose & Son have also been working with Wiltshire County Council to distribute ‘paid forward’ meat boxes to families facing food poverty across Wiltshire.  This initiative has been invaluable and has seen around one hundred essentials meat boxes delivered to those in need at this difficult time.  Local children’s charities as well as charities for the homeless and vulnerable have all benefitted from this fantastic initiative and continue to do so.

Jack Cook, Director at Walter Rose & Son commented,

“We have been doing home delivery for 173 years! Our home delivery service has always been gladly taken-up by customers, but never to this extent, this is unprecedented. The increased demand for home delivery helped to soften the blow felt from the closure of cafes, pubs, hotels and restaurants. We’ve introduced new products and are promoting to our database and social media audience on a daily basis. We are working hard to ensure customers feel safe and confident to shop locally and continue to receive top quality, locally-sourced meat and deli goods.”  

Charlie continued

“Of course, we felt an initial loss of custom from the catering sector with only a small number of these foodservice providers continuing to sell takeaways. But having a really strong team that’s been able to pitch-in and cope with the extra demand, as well as operate a fleet of vans, means we’ve been able respond to changes quickly and serve an increased demand of customers seeking deliveries to their door.”

Jack concluded,

“Many of our elderly customers are continuing to place orders by telephone as they regularly would but we’ve seen a huge increase in orders being placed online. Being adaptive and flexible has helped us to maintain services to our loyal and growing customer base.”

Walter Rose & Son and other high street butchers’ shops now account for around 8.5% of beef and pork, and over 12% of lamb, is now sold through these specialist outlets.  It’s clear that people obviously appreciate how butchers have adapted quickly to the restrictions and served their communities well in difficult times, providing high quality meat and a bespoke service to their customers.

Walter Rose & Son is now looking forward to the scheduled re-opening of restaurants on the 4^th July and is already in communication with customers on how best to service them under new ‘Covid- secure’ guidelines.  Walter Rose have maintained contact with the chefs and trade customers whilst the restaurants have been shut, even hosting a round in The Chefs’ Forum’s Chefs’ Quiz last Monday to re-engage with their much-valued clients.

Walter Rose would like to take this opportunity to wish the chefs and restauranteurs all the very best for the new chapter in their professional lives that sees them returning to their kitchens to continue to champion the hospitality industry.

Any chefs who would like to make contact with Walter Rose to discuss supply should email jack@walterroseandson.co.uk.

In the meantime, to receive a special Chefs’ Forum discount when you shop online for home delivery, simply use code: CHEFSFORUM1 to receive 20% off at the checkout: shop.walterroseandson.co.uk

iVario Pro by Rational – The New Performance Class for the Professional Kitchen

The iVario Pro sets new standards for the professional kitchen. The cooking system, which works with contact heat, impresses with intelligent functions and consumes 40% less energy than conventional tilting pans and boiling pans. Although connected loads have been reduced compared to the predecessor VarioCookingCenter, it has up to 20% higher searing capacity and with the maintenance-free pressure cooking option, it is up to 35% faster compared to cooking without pressure.

iVarioBoost, the intelligent energy management system, ensures precise temperatures on the pan base and sensitively regulates them. With iZoneControl, the pan base can be divided into up to four zones, so the user can cook different foods simultaneously, on a time delay and at different temperatures. The ergonomy also sets new standards with height-adjustable legs, cold pan sides and rounded corners allowing for safer working.

“Productivity, flexibility and simplicity are what characterise the new iVario Pro,” explains Simon Lohse, Managing Director, Rational UK. The patented iVarioBoost heating system is based on ceramic heating elements which are firmly attached to the scratch-resistant pan base and evenly distributed. The iVario Pro will heat up to 200° in less than 2.5 minutes and has enough energy to sear around 30kg of goulash in approximately 15 minutes. This makes iVarioBoost 4 times faster than conventional technology. Also, when cold liquid, for example cream is poured into a casserole there is no drop in temperature. The iVarioBoost can take away the energy almost just as fast, preventing delicate foods such as rice pudding from sticking or boiling over. Lohse continues, “This is maximum power alongside extreme precision.”

The precision is provided by the iCookingSuite, the cooking intelligence in the iVario Pro. Sensors detect the quantity and condition of the food, regulating the cooking parameters accordingly so that the desired result can be achieved without the user having to do much. “The iVario Pro eliminates the need for checking and monitoring. Such as with AutoLift, which automatically lifts the food out of the cooking liquid,” explains Simon Lohse. At the same time, the operating concept is new and the user can either select cooking programs for meat, fish, poultry and side dishes, or cooking methods such as frying pan or deep-fat fryer. This will save time for training and learning.

iZoneControl provides more flexibility, as the iVario Pro pan base can be divided up into four zones, which can be of any shape or size. Each of the zones can be used with different cooking paths and temperatures. It is possible to cook foods with very different requirements at the same time, for example you can delicately fry fish, while the asparagus is cooking at a low temperature and also sear the lamb cutlets on a high heat, then let them rest.

The new cooking system sets new standards in terms of ergonomics. The height of the cooking system can be adjusted meaning the user can work ergonomically with the cooking system at the optimal height, simplifying many preparation methods, such as turning escalopes or steaks. Different setup variations are available, such as wall hanging or on castors making the new cooking system very adaptable.

As nothing sticks on the pan it means that the iVario Pro is easy to clean, a little water, a little detergent and a sponge, completed often in two minutes, saving time.

The iVario Pro 2-S with two pans is ideal for restaurants or as an additional unit in business and industry catering. The two single-pan cooking systems with capacities of 100 or 150 litres are the new performers in industry catering. The new generation units are complemented by the iVario 2-XS, which is perfect for restaurants from 30 meals with its two 17-litre pans and a full package of accessories.

Anyone who would like to discover more about the new cooking system can now convince themselves of its performance in the online webinar More Tour 2020. Interested parties will soon be able to experience all cooking systems also live at the More Tour 2020, the dates will be available on

The iVario Pro sets new standards for the professional kitchen. The cooking system, which works with contact heat, impresses with intelligent functions and consumes 40% less energy than conventional tilting pans and boiling pans. Although connected loads have been reduced compared to the predecessor VarioCookingCenter, it has up to 20% higher searing capacity and with the maintenance-free pressure cooking option, it is up to 35% faster compared to cooking without pressure.

iVarioBoost, the intelligent energy management system, ensures precise temperatures on the pan base and sensitively regulates them. With iZoneControl, the pan base can be divided into up to four zones, so the user can cook different foods simultaneously, on a time delay and at different temperatures. The ergonomy also sets new standards with height-adjustable legs, cold pan sides and rounded corners allowing for safer working.

“Productivity, flexibility and simplicity are what characterise the new iVario Pro,” explains Simon Lohse, Managing Director, Rational UK. The patented iVarioBoost heating system is based on ceramic heating elements which are firmly attached to the scratch-resistant pan base and evenly distributed. The iVario Pro will heat up to 200° in less than 2.5 minutes and has enough energy to sear around 30kg of goulash in approximately 15 minutes. This makes iVarioBoost 4 times faster than conventional technology. Also, when cold liquid, for example cream is poured into a casserole there is no drop in temperature. The iVarioBoost can take away the energy almost just as fast, preventing delicate foods such as rice pudding from sticking or boiling over. Lohse continues, “This is maximum power alongside extreme precision.”

The precision is provided by the iCookingSuite, the cooking intelligence in the iVario Pro. Sensors detect the quantity and condition of the food, regulating the cooking parameters accordingly so that the desired result can be achieved without the user having to do much. “The iVario Pro eliminates the need for checking and monitoring. Such as with AutoLift, which automatically lifts the food out of the cooking liquid,” explains Simon Lohse. At the same time, the operating concept is new and the user can either select cooking programs for meat, fish, poultry and side dishes, or cooking methods such as frying pan or deep-fat fryer. This will save time for training and learning.

iZoneControl provides more flexibility, as the iVario Pro pan base can be divided up into four zones, which can be of any shape or size. Each of the zones can be used with different cooking paths and temperatures. It is possible to cook foods with very different requirements at the same time, for example you can delicately fry fish, while the asparagus is cooking at a low temperature and also sear the lamb cutlets on a high heat, then let them rest.

The new cooking system sets new standards in terms of ergonomics. The height of the cooking system can be adjusted meaning the user can work ergonomically with the cooking system at the optimal height, simplifying many preparation methods, such as turning escalopes or steaks. Different setup variations are available, such as wall hanging or on castors making the new cooking system very adaptable.

As nothing sticks on the pan it means that the iVario Pro is easy to clean, a little water, a little detergent and a sponge, completed often in two minutes, saving time.

The iVario Pro 2-S with two pans is ideal for restaurants or as an additional unit in business and industry catering. The two single-pan cooking systems with capacities of 100 or 150 litres are the new performers in industry catering. The new generation units are complemented by the iVario 2-XS, which is perfect for restaurants from 30 meals with its two 17-litre pans and a full package of accessories.

Anyone who would like to discover more about the new cooking system can now convince themselves of its performance in the online webinar More Tour 2020 and iCombi Pro Live Online REGISTER HERE. Interested parties will soon be able to experience all cooking systems also live at the More Tour 2020, the dates will be available on rational-online.com

Join the World’s Biggest Fish Finger Sandwich Zoom Call

Who doesn’t love a Fish Finger Sandwich?

The Fishermen’s Mission is attempting to get the most people eating a Fish Finger Sandwich at one time whilst also on a zoom call! The charity, who care for UK fishermen and their families, is calling on lovers of the Fish Finger Sandwich to join them in the World’s Biggest Fish Finger Sandwich Zoom Call on Fish Friday – 3^rd July 2020 from 12 – 1pm.

Fish Friday is the National Fundraising Day for the Fishermen’s Mission, a day to show your support for our UK fishermen. Can there be a better way of doing that than enjoying a lunchtime feast of chunky white fish encased in golden breadcrumbs between the baked accompaniment of your choice whilst raising funds for the Fishermen’s Mission!

The World’s Biggest Fish Finger Sandwich Zoom call will also feature live cooking demonstrations from top celebrity chefs. Nathan Outlaw and Tom Brown will show us their delicious take on the famous Fish Finger Sandwich. Artist Caroline Cleave and her husband Jon Cleave from the Fishermen’s Friends will also be on hand with a fishy tale or two. There will also be bespoke Fish Finger Sandwich recipes to download so you too can create your own fish finger masterpiece!

Fishing remains the UK’s most dangerous profession and life is very tough for many of our fishermen at present. Devastating winter storms were followed by the coronavirus pandemic which closed fish markets across the world. Fish prices collapsed and boats were tied up around the UK coastline. Struggling UK fishing families rely on the Fishermen’s Mission to help them get through the crisis.

Ali Godfrey, Director of Business Development for the Fishermen’s Mission, explains the vital role played by the Fishermen’s Mission:

“We are here as a trusted friend supporting fishermen and their families through the storms of life. We provide access to emergency funding and longer-term welfare support alongside practical guidance which is so needed in these turbulent times. With many of our fundraising options currently paused, the World’s Biggest Fish Finger Sandwich Zoom call is a great and very tasty way to show your support for our fishermen.”

A donation of at least £3 to the Fishermen’s Mission will allow you to join the World’s Biggest Fish Finger Sandwich Zoom call on Fish Friday 3rd July 12:00 – 1:00.

Visit www.fishmishmarket.org.uk/fishfingersandwich to join in.

For more information please contact the Fishermen’s Mission at www.fishermensmission.org.uk

Wiltshire Farm Foods Recruits Leading Chefs for Collaboration

The nation’s leading frozen food delivery service, Wiltshire Farm Foods, has recruited eight leading Chefs across the South West for a brand new summer menu collaboration.

At a time when many restaurants and pubs have had to temporarily close, Wiltshire Farm Foods has identified how to support chefs affected by the pandemic by updating its range with an innovative injection of culinary skill and creativity.

Working alongside Head Chef, Phil Rimmer, chefs include; Jethro Lawrence, Head Chef at Woolley Grange Hotel; Rob Allcock, Chef Patron at The Long Arms, South Wraxall; Richard Knighting, Executive Chef at Corkage, Bath; Elliott Lidstone, Head Chef and Owner at BOX-E, Bristol; Henry Scott, Head Chef at Henry’s, Bath; Peter Vaughan, Executive Chef and Director at Vaughan’s Kitchen, Devizes; Josh Dobson, Sous Chef at Bunch of Grapes, Bradford-on-Avon and Simi Rezai-Ghassemi, cookery teacher and owner of Simi’s Kitchen in Bath.

Phil Rimmer says; “It’s been fantastic to work alongside fellow Chefs bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to the kitchen.  In a time of national crisis pulling together and supporting each other is what we do best as a country, so collaborating with a wide range of culinary talent in creating new dishes for our customers has been such a positive project for myself and the entire Wiltshire Farm Foods team.”

Each Chef has worked on a signature dish.  These include; Peter Vaughan’s Slow Cooked Beef with Onions and Dorset Ale; Richard Knighting’s Slow Cooked Lamb with Minted Peas and Beans; Elliott Lidstone’s Creamy Chicken, Pearl Barley and Cauliflower Risotto; Jethro Lawrence’s Gammon in Somerset Cider Sauce and Simi Rezai-Ghaseemi’s Chickpea and Apricot Stew.

Desserts range from the classic Chocolate and Cherry Brownie with Vanilla Cream Sauce to the seasonal Gooseberry Bakewell Tart and indulgent Date Pudding with Coconut and Date Sauce.

Peter Vaughan says: “My grandparents were Wiltshire Farm Foods customers so I created my dish

with them in mind.  This project has been a superb culinary challenge – I have a real admiration for Phil Rimmer and the team. They’ve been wonderful to work with.”

Talking about the experience, Josh Dobson says it’s been an eye opener: “I was so impressed by the passion and dedication of the chefs at Wiltshire Farm Foods and the level of development that goes into every dish. It’s really changed my perception of frozen food.”

COO of Wiltshire Farm Foods, Ian Stone adds: “The South West attracts some of the best Chefs in the country and we were keen to collaborate with those whose businesses had temporarily been affected by the pandemic to bring a fresh and exciting new summer menu for our customers.”

For more information please visit www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com

Yoello – Re-open your business safely with online ordering!

Have a look at how it all works in this fantastic film below:

Gunns Bakery launches ‘The Daddy’ of all clangers for Father’s Day: The Chicken Satay ‘N’ Chocolate Macadamia MacClanger!

Bedford-based Macadamia nut supplier Nutcellars recently teamed-up with Clanger Aficionado, David Gunns of Gunns Bakery to revive the traditional Bedfordshire Clanger in a bid to give it a macadamia-themed gastronomic makeover.  A competition was launched for clanger enthusiasts to come-up with a new clanger combo to create a ‘MacClanger’, incorporating macadamia nuts in their recipes.

Many delicious recipe ideas were received; however, it was Freelance Chef, Spencer Westcott who submitted the innovative new clanger idea that caught David’s attention.  As a third-generation baker, David has devised a myriad of clanger recipes and is always on the look-out for new flavour combinations to add to his range.

In the olden days, people would make Clangers with whatever they had in the way of meat or vegetables, fruit and jam, remains of a joint, swelled-up with potatoes or onions. Gammon and ham were also very popular with potato and onion when in season – The other end would contain a sweet chopped apple sauce.  Now, with an abundance of delicious ingredients available, there is no end to the scope of possible clanger recipes.

Historically, The Bedfordshire clanger was homemade for farmers to take to their agricultural work in the fields of Bedfordshire to sustain them throughout the day.  Nutcellars macadamia nuts are a great ingredient addition, as they are the perfect snack to prevent hunger throughout the day as a few nuts go a long way.

David Gunns, of Gunns Bakery, is Bedford’s answer to a ‘Clanger Aficionado’ as featured on TV’s Jamie & Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast on Channel 4 with Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty.

David said

“I am very excited to see how the new Chicken satay ‘N’ Chocolate MacClanger goes down with my customers. It is great to work with a fellow Bedfordshire business to introduce the new clanger for Father’s Day – I think it would make a fantastic present! We are used to producing custom versions of the Clanger, so we’re very excited about creating a new clanger flavour with Nutcellars Macadamia nuts!”

Andrew Emmott, Managing Director of Nutcellars added

“We’ve always been fascinated by the heritage of The Bedfordshire Clanger and wanted to develop a clanger with macadamia nuts as a fellow business based in Bedford.  My family support smallholder farms in Malawi and have done for four generations.  It is great to bring this fantastic little nut to Bedfordshire to experiment its use in this iconic local treat.  I can’t wait to Spencer’s Chicken Satay ‘N’ Chocolate MacClanger recipe to be made into a tradition Bedfordshire clanger by David, what an absolute treat?!”

Spencer concluded

“As a chef, I very much enjoy experimenting with recipes to demonstrate the unique versatility of macadamia, The Queen of Nuts, which can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes.  Being a fan of pies and pasties, The Bedfordshire clanger competition interested me, and I decided to put pen to paper and come up with a clanger recipe which I personally would like to eat.  I am delighted that my recipe was chosen to create the ‘Daddy of all Clangers’ in time for Father’s Day!”

The Chicken Satay ‘N’ Chocolate MacClanger will be on sale in Gunns Bakery from Friday 19^th June and will also be available to buy online for contactless delivery in Nutcellars’ shop www.nutcellars.com

Meet the Chocolatiers Breaking the Mould of the Chocolate Industry

Create unique custom desserts and artisanal chocolates with vacuum technology

Mayku shares how chocolatiers can use a FormBox to design custom artisanal chocolate on a budget

Paul A Young is an award-winning Chocolatier who champions craft and cutting edge creativity to create unique chocolate products. Young started his career working for Marco Pierre White at Quo Vadis and Criterion before opening his first shop in Islington. Working in a truly artisanal way, Young and his team make all of their creations by hand in small batches with fresh ingredients at every stage.

With the Mayku FormBox, Young was able to take charge of the whole production process without having to use an external factory or designer, dramatically cutting costs and granting him far more creative licence, as he was able to make adaptations to designs on the fly. Paul designed a series of geometric, 3D printed forms that were then made into molds using the MaykuFormBox. Being able to replicate the molds in seconds meant that Young could react creatively with his ideas and push his designs to the next level.

“Designing chocolates with the FormBox meant I didn’t have to go to a mold maker and I could use trial and error while at work, molding with chocolate as I developed resulting in a very artistic and style led product.”

Damien Wager is the Head of Pastry at the luxury Beechfield House Hotel, a cookery teacher and a consultant and brand ambassador for chocolate makers Valrhona and HEiH. He also teaches pastry making to both amateurs and professionals all over the UK. With every new dessert, Damien’s desire is to create something completely unique.

He uses Mayku’s FormBox to make innovative molds for chocolates, often based on fruit and other distinctively shaped objects, that he would not be able to otherwise make. His latest creations include a life-like banana-shaped inverse banoffee pie and lime-shaped key lime pie, which have been made using FormBoxed molds which can be easily wiped clean and reused.

“You can make whatever you want: if you press a Yale key down into the mold, it will come out exactly the same! I can think of 40 different molds I’d love to make if I could only find the objects.”

CEO of Mayku, Alex Smilanksy, discusses how artisan chocolatiers can bring new, exciting creations to a wider group of customers:

“The more that chocolatiers can set themselves apart from their competition with unique, exciting products and great service, the more successful they will be and the more market share they will be able to win back from larger retailers. 

Mayku are committed to helping artisan chocolatiers and small food retailers by providing industrial-grade manufacturing and design equipment at a fraction of the size and cost, and developing a community of small businesses to provide support, advice and resources to any entrepreneur or artist looking to thrive.”

About Mayku

Founded in 2015, Mayku is a London-based company made up of creators, engineers, designers and logistics professionals, united under the shared concept of democratised manufacturing. The company is striving to help the world move from a centralised model of production to a distributed one, by producing industrial-grade machines at a fraction of the size and cost.

Mayku is also committed to building a true community of creators, with access to a wealth of services and digital tools, to help make the design process more accessible by lowering the barrier of entry and spurning creativity amongst its users.

The Mayku FormBox is an industrial-grade vacuum forming press that fits on your desk or kitchen table, which enables the user to make molds or replicate intricate shapes in a matter of seconds. The FormBox enables rapid and precision replication, exponentially speeding up the product development cycle and allowing worktop businesses to quickly prototype, develop and produce their products. A Mayku FormBox user can simply create or download a design, 3D-print a mold, and immediately begin to produce up to a thousand units in a matter of days.. The FormBox is the perfect accompaniment to a 3D printer, picking up detail as fine as a grain of sand and enabling the user to pivot, make adaptations and be extremely nimble in their design process.