The Chefs’ Forum Academy Maintains College, Student and Supplier Engagement During Covid-19 lockdown
The Chefs’ Forum has successfully rolled-out five Academies in leading catering colleges across the UK.
In normal times, top chefs and front of house professionals visit students in their usual teaching environment to deliver guest lectures to enrich their learning.
The inspirational sessions take place on a weekly basis and are running in West London College, The Manchester College, Coleg Gwent, Gloucestershire College and two further colleges set to launch this September, Bath College and Pembrokeshire College.
Many of the colleges have been in touch to discuss methods and best practice for maintaining student engagement whilst lessons are being taught remotely.
The Chefs’ Forum Academy has launched a brand-new YouTube channel with recipe film contributions by chefs from across the UK. The channel features recipes filmed live in chefs’ kitchens and have been kindly submitted with the sole aim of engaging students and inspiring them to cook simple recipes at home. Any chefs wishing to submit a film please email alexandra@redcherry.uk.com
The Chefs’ Forum is also working with its suppliers to help stage Zoom Cook-along events like the forthcoming vegan Nutcellars macadamia nut cheese with Instagram Influencer chef, Bettina Campolucci Bordi, coming up on Wednesday 20th May at 2pm, click here for more information.
Elizabeth Peters, Assistant Principal, Service and Retail Industries at The Manchester College said
“We’re in constant talks on how to motivate and inspire our students whilst they are learning remotely at this difficult time. Resources like The Chefs’ Forum Weekly Chefs’ Quiz and recipe channel are extremely valuable to us, as they maintain our links with industry to come back even stronger once we are able to invite students and chefs back into the college for the new normal.”
Denise Charles, Head of Curriculum, Service Industries at Hammersmith & Fulham College said
“We have added The Chefs’ Forum Academy chef quizzes and links to our online learning platform. I personally participate in the Chefs’ Quiz each week to maintain contact with chefs who come into the college to teach. It was great to see our guest teaching chefs Michael Dutnall MCA from the RAF Club, Soham Sonawane from The Dorchester, Chanaka Fernando from Buddha Bar and Connor McAlpine of Marcus Waring Restaurants, who gave a Front of House Masterclass. My teaching staff and students will be participating in this Monday’s quiz and are very much looking forward to it.”
As a result of last week’s quiz, TV Chef Scott Goss of Verdigris in Tonbridge offered to join The Chefs’ Forum Academy and teach at West London College. Denise was absolutely delighted with this offer and is looking forward to welcoming him to the college when face to face teaching resumes.
Any chefs, suppliers or colleges wishing to participate in this Monday’s quiz, 4th May at 2pm to be hosted by Richard Davies, Executive Chef of Calcot & Spa and Bettina Campolucci Bordi should contact Alexandra Duncan via email: alexandra@redcherry.uk.com
Bettina’s Kitchen Nutcellars Live Zoom Cook-along – 20th May at 2pm – Sign-up NOW!
Bettina Compolucci Bordi loves everything plant-based food and when she heard of macadamia gurus Nutcellars’ wish to collaborate, she was only too delighted to accept. Having grown up in Tanzania and living there until the age of eleven, Bettina has an inherent love of Macadamia and holds Africa very close to her heart. Now settled in London, Bettina posts daily recipes to inspire people to integrate more plant-based ingredients into their diets.
Bettina will be making a Garlic and Herb Macadamia Nut cheese on a live Zoom Cook-along session on Wednesday 20th May at 2pm and will be inviting fans to take part. The recipe is plant-based and suitable for vegans!
Nutcellars macadamia nuts are delicious and provide a wide range of nutrients and health benefits. Bettina’s ingenious idea is to make a homemade version of a very famous eighties garlic and herb soft cheese with the delicate white globes and is certain that it will be well-received as the ultimate lockdown pick-me-up!
Bettina has spent the last four years cooking, blogging, and developing recipes on Instagram in a professional capacity. The accomplished Instagram influencer has also spent seven years staging health retreats in normal times at exotic and beautiful destinations all over the world, where she gained inspiration for her first two books and is now writing her third. Bettina has amassed a huge audience of 119,000 followers on Instagram and is officially classified as an influencer, complete with a blue tick of authenticity, the goal of all influencers!
Bedford-based macadamia nut supplier, Nutcellars approached Bettina to raise the profile of their ethically produced macadamia nuts and incorporate them into a recipe.
Director Andrew Emmott said
“We are really pleased to be working with Bettina to raise the profile of our Macadamia nuts. Bettina’s plant-based focus and her concern for sustainable sourcing chimes well with our brand values of tasty, healthy, and sustainable. My family have spent the last thirty years working with smallholder farmers in Malawi to help produce the nuts. Independent farmers make up 90% of all the food produced in Malawi and staple crops such as maize can be volatile and prone to erratic yields. Farming macadamia provides the farmers with vital extra income, especially at this uncertain time.”
Bettina suggested a Virtual Cheese making class on the popular conferencing platform, Zoom®, using Nutcellars macadamia nuts to make a macadamia based, garlic and herb creamy nut cheese– Nutcellars loved the idea and have marked the date when this will take place:
Bettina positions herself as a plant-based chef, as she prides herself on strictly monitoring the provenance of the ingredients she uses in her recipes. Bettina loved the ethical values of Nutcellars macadamia and links to smallholder farmers in Africa and hence was very happy to collaborate in the Zoom Cookalong, for her audience of avid foodies who are all in lockdown and eagerly await her daily recipe creations, already producing forty recipes since the UK went into lockdown.
Bettina said
“I was really happy to be approached by the team at Nutcellars to create a recipe using their delicious macadamia nuts. My nut cheese recipe comes from my love of plant-based cheese and I have sped-up and modified one of my favourite recipes to incorporate whole macadamia nuts as I feel their intense and delicious flavour will greatly compliment the garlic and herb flavour notes in the luscious creamy cheese – I’m sure the Zoom cook along participants will love the finished result!”
Bettina will host the cheese making class and create an ingredients list that participants will have to source beforehand from grocery shops and from Nutcellars for contactless delivery online:
To take part in the course, simply click on this link and email Bettina to register your interest, the cost is just £19.
Nutcellars will package and send finest Malawian macadamia nuts to all the participants in order to make the creamy nut cheese.
2019 Roux Scholar, Spencer Metzger Completes Successful Stage at Restaurant Frantzén, Stockholm
Roux Scholarship 2019 winner Spencer Metzger has returned from his stage at Restaurant Frantzén in Stockholm saying it “was a dream place to work,” despite having to return to the UK early due to the coronavirus pandemic. The three-month placement, with all expenses paid, is the star prize of the annual competition, with winners able to choose any three-star Michelin kitchen in the world. Spencer’s choice was Restaurant Frantzén, widely regarded as one of Europe’s best restaurants. It was the first Swedish restaurant to be awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide and it is set in a three-storey, 19th-century townhouse in the Norrmalm district. The guest experience is geared towards interaction with the chefs, who introduce themselves and present their dishes from a backdrop of an open kitchen. The style of cooking combines classic and modern techniques inspired by local tradition with strong Asian influence.
Spencer returned at the end of March, two weeks earlier than scheduled due to the Coronavirus lockdown and said of his experience: “It was so much more than I expected. After a month of working in the prep kitchen, I started to help with the service. All the chefs serve the food, and they told me: ‘This restaurant is about people’s personality so just put yourself forward.’ To start with, I was a bit nervous serving the guests, but after a couple of times they said: ‘Go for it’. Not all the interns get to do service, so that was great.”
The pandemic’s impact on the restaurant meant that Spencer was able to take on more responsibilities due to staff absences, including other international interns returning home. “It meant they pushed me into a different role and I got to do more. It was really good to see how they adapted with staff numbers going from say 35 people down to sometimes 25. Everyone had to step up and do everything they could.”
As well as experiencing a very different style of restaurant to The Ritz London, where Spencer works as Premier Sous Chef, he also enjoyed working with new ingredients and learning new techniques.
“I cooked with a lot of new ingredients that I’ve never heard of before, such as something called Myoga, which is Japanese Ginger, and then there was galangal which I’ve never used before; I’ve never worked with sea urchins or abalone either. There were a lot of techniques I’ve never seen before either and I got to know them really well.”
Michel Roux Jr said: “Chef Frantzén and his team were very welcoming. Spencer immediately became one of the team and has made life-long friends. In essence, this is what the Scholarship is about: life-changing experiences that will be with you forever.”
Alain Roux said: “Spencer was so e
xcited at having a ‘secret door’ opened to him by the Roux Scholarship, a brilliant, unique, priceless experience. Although having joined and excelled as a humble ‘stagiaire’, Spencer has forged a lasting relationship with his mentors. Spencer has learned that kindness and attention from the team can transcend a guest’s experience and is as important as the dishes and flavours presented.”
Björn Frantzén said: “Spencer has really made an impact on not only everyone within the team but also our guests. It has been a pleasure working with such a talent and I really wish him an amazing career.
Taking a Tea Break Can Boost Your Mental Wellbeing
- Almost two-thirds of tea drinkers agree that taking time to have a cup of tea helps them feel more relaxed
- Nearly half agree that a tea break helps them calm down and reduces stress levels
There is no question that as a nation, Britain is full of tea lovers. In fact, it’s estimated that Brits consume over 100 million cups of tea[1] daily.
At a current time of uncertainty, new independent research by BRITA Professional* has revealed the potential wellbeing benefits a tea ‘break’ can bring, now especially relevant with so many of us working from home.
The research, which was conducted amongst 1,000 tea drinkers, found that two-thirds (64%) believe taking time to have a cup of tea has a positive effect on their mental health, admitting it helps them to feel relaxed. Almost half (41%) agree that it helps them calm down and reduce stress levels.
As well as being beneficial to consumers’ mental health, research also found that a tea break can increase our productivity with nearly half (41%) agreeing that they are able to concentrate more on their work after a cup of tea and over a third (38%) are able to perform better or to a higher level.
Commenting on the research, Jane Pettigrew from the UK Tea Academy said:
“As we all continue to settle into the ‘new normal’ and spend more time at home, it’s more important than ever to look after our mental wellbeing. The research by BRITA Professional really shows that there’s nothing quite like a reassuring cup of tea. I would encourage all of those who are busy in their households to take regular breaks throughout the day and where possible, connect with others over a relaxing hot drink.”
Although tea is clearly a popular drink choice, 46% of consumers do not believe the quality of tea is better in cafés than at home[2]. In fact, tea comprises just 4.4% of the average coffee shop sales mix[3]. So, what can businesses do to encourage consumers to drink tea out of home?
Whilst the hospitality industry is currently facing a challenging time due to the current climate and repercussions of COVID 19, BRITA Professional’s new research has also provided a number of insights on how, once back up and running, businesses can encourage tea drinkers to take their tea break in their establishments and improve their revenue.
- Choice: While English Breakfast Tea is often seen as the most popular choice of tea at many cafés, coffee shops and hotels, over half of consumers (51%) would be more likely to choose another type of tea out of home
- Quality: Almost half (46%) of tea drinkers don’t believe the quality of tea is better in cafés than it is at home. In fact, tea operators believe the reasons for missed opportunities in the sector are the quality of tea used (64%) and the lack of training on how to make a good cuppa (40%)
- Ambience: Of those that do enjoy a cup of tea out of home, almost half (41%) said the ambience of the location was one of the biggest drivers. Tea drinkers provide other opportunities too as 60% of consumers typically make additional food purchases alongside their tea[4].
Speaking about the research results, which are available in a new toolkit from BRITA Professional – Life is Better Filtered: Business Vitali-Tea, Sarah Taylor, Managing Director of BRITA UK, said:
“From conducting research into the benefits of a tea break, it’s clear that the majority of tea drinkers not only enjoy the taste but also the opportunity it provides to take a break from the stresses of work and everyday life.
“Whilst the hospitality industry as a whole is going through a very difficult time, this toolkit also provides invaluable insights that could help businesses take this time to strengthen their offering and come out of this situation stronger on the other side.
“By educating Brits in why having tea in a café, coffee shop or other business environment could be beneficial to their wellbeing, or why the quality of tea may be better out of home, the hot beverage industry has the potential to flourish in a whole new sector”.
In addition to the research findings, the new toolkit Life is Better Filtered: Business Vitali-Tea also features expert insights into the health benefits of a tea break, the added benefits of enjoying a tea break outside of the house and also top tips for hot beverage businesses looking to expand their offering and entice more custom when they are able to reopen.
BRITA Professional will also be posting top tips across their social channels over the next few weeks on how to make the most of your tea break whilst working from home.
To download a copy of the Life is Better Filtered: Business Vitali-Tea toolkit, please visit: https://issuu.com/britaprofessional/docs/brita_vitalitea_toolkit_single_pages_final
[2] 3GEM in collaboration with BRITA Professional (November 2018)
[3] Allegra Project Tea Report (2019)
[4] Allegra Project Tea Report (2019)
Hrishikesh Dedicates His Appearance on Great British Menu to Late Cousin, Nayana
Hrishikesh has supported The Chefs’ Forum since he ran the cookery school at the Michelin-starred Lucknam Park in Colerne. It is fantastic to see how his career has progressed and the sheer talent and professionalism displayed during the latest series of Great British Menu 2020.
Indian-born Hrishikesh Desai is now the Executive Chef at Gilpin Hotel and Lake House, where he has earned a Michelin star for its flagship restaurant HRiSHi.
After beginning his hospitality career in front of house, Desai decided he wanted to become a chef after earning a scholarship to the Institut Paul Bocuse in France.
He then went on to train at both Lucknam Park in Colerne, working under chef Hywel Jones, as well as at Thomas Keller’s three Michelin-starred The French Laundry in California.
In 2009 he won the prestigious Roux Scholarship and collected the Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year award in 2010.
Always mild-mannered and incredibly polite, it was an absolute pleasure to see him return to Great British Menu 2020.
It was great to see Hrishikesh Desai in the final of Great British Menu once again, but this series saw the chef having to put a brave face on whilst he was in inner turmoil.
You may have seen Hrishikesh become rather tearful when asked to present his dish, Mr McGregor’s Garden (pictured below).
Hrishikesh retorted that it was because “he’s worked very hard” on the dish.
In reality, he was struggling with news of his close cousin having been taken off life support in the final stage of cancer.
The pressure further mounted when on the day of filming the final, Hrishikesh learned that she had sadly passed away.
Hirishikesh said
“I am so grateful to all those who supported me and got me through this last series of the Great British menu. It is so difficult to carry on as normal, when in such a fragile emotional state. As soon as filming finished, I was able to travel straight to Heathrow to attend my cousin’s funeral in New York, at least I had the chance to properly say goodbye.”
He added
“I would like to dedicate this series of Great British Menu to my cousin, Nayana, she really was very special to me and this is how I would like to celebrate her life, cruelly cut-short by cancer. I would love to return once more to compete in this fantastic competition and congratulate all the chefs who took part this year. It was fantastic to work with Tom Barnes and I congratulate him on making it to the national final”.
Gilpin Hotel and Lake House can be found on the edge of Windermere in the Lake District.
Calcot Hotel Cooks for the Covid-19 Isolated, with Complimentary Meals Delivered to the Door
Calcot Hotel & Spa has launched a complimentary chef-made meal delivery service to those in self isolation. The high-end Cotswolds hotel, near Tetbury has engineered a thoughtful food distribution to supply of nutritious two-course meals to vulnerable groups in isolation, staffed by furloughed Calcot employees and council volunteers.
The Calcot team have been working with four surrounding councils of Tetbury, Malmsbury, Nailsworth and Sherston to identify those most in need, in terms of lacking a home support network, to ensure they get chef-made tasty, nutritional meals delivered to their doors, completely free of charge, three days a week.
The service supports isolated and elderly people, vulnerable individuals and families who are unable to leave the house during the Covid-19 crisis. Delicious meals, consisting of a main course and dessert, are prepared by Richard and the culinary team at Calcot, then distributed by a council volunteers to those isolated by Covid-19, as well as NHS workers, completely free of charge.
Deliveries are made to vulnerable groups in isolation every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and the Calcot kitchen team are producing 164 meals a day and this is set to rise considerably as more people require this help.
Chef Davies has devised a delicious menu of nutritious two course meals to be reheated by the recipient, packaged into hearty portions. The menu changes daily and clients can expect fantastic main courses like Stokes Marsh Farm Beef Stew, Chicken and Mushroom Fricassee or Fish Pie, all served with locally sourced seasonal vegetables or rice. There is always a delicious dessert of traditional crumbles or sponge puddings for recipients to look forward to. All ingredients are from local suppliers to help keep them going at this difficult time.
Richard Davies said:
“Calcot’s Executive Chairman, Richard Ball and I both felt that we wanted to use the time that we are on Furlough to contribute and help those affected most by Coronavirus on a local level. We are especially grateful to our furloughed colleagues for volunteering to cook for this vital cause. The Stone family who are the principle shareholders behind the Calcot Collection have kindly offered to sponsor all associated costs for the initiative.”
Richard also expressed his gratitude to local suppliers who have donated produce and fuel to help get the meals delivered to those in need.
He continued
“The kindness and willingness demonstrated by my suppliers to contribute towards and support this initiative has been truly amazing. Everyone is doing their bit to help; from helping with vegetable prep to donating funds to fuel the volunteers’ cars, it all helps and is very much appreciated. It would be great if other hospitality businesses are able do the same, so we can all join forces to use our culinary skills to help those in crises in the current pandemic.”
Calcot Hotel would like to thank local suppliers New Wave Seafood (Fairford), Walter Rose & Son butchers (Devizes) and Cam Catering (Dursley) for meat, Bramleys of Cirencester and Total Produce (Bristol) for fruit, veg and dry goods and Car Care of Tetbury for donating £200 towards fuel costs.
Any local businesses or chefs wishing to support this initiative should email Richard on: calcot.c19meals@calcot.co
FREE CHEFS’ FOOD QUIZ TO FEED YOUR MIND – Monday 13th April at 2pm – Register now!
Join acclaimed food writer and food quiz aficionada, Sudi Pigott for her inaugural CHEFFY FOOD & DRINK QUIZ next Monday 13 April at 2pm on Zoom and every subsequent Monday afternoon.
Whilst we’re not staging networking events, we feel it really important that chefs maintain contact with each other and keep their fingers on the industry pulse!
Every day is a school day and what better way to brush-up on our culinary knowledge then to enter into a food quiz online with up to twenty other chefs, completely free of charge, with a great foodie prize for the winner?!
Sudi says
“I’m missing restaurants as much, yet differently, to all of you. I’ve been a food writer, restaurant critic and book author for more than 20 years writing for The i Paper, Daily Mail, FT Weekend, The Spectator, Culture Whisper, Fine Dining Lovers and many more. I’ve travelled and dined with the world’s best chefs. Among many highlights, I’ve visited the world’s only museum of balsamico tradizionale and parmigiano reggiano caves with Massimo Bottura, toured Paris in the back of a limo with Alain Ducasse visiting his favourite shops (and one shopper mistook him for a sales assistant in a cookware shop to hilarious effect), wandered San Sebastian Old Town with Elena Arzak and eaten in the kitchen at Arzak, and had an all day lunch with Bjorn Frantzen just before he got his third star at Frantzen.”
Cheffy questions to FEED YOUR MIND will be a mix of the arcane, the silly, the suggestive, the “I ought to know that” and “how did I get so far without knowing such food trivia”, plus guessing the function of intriguing culinary gadgets . It will all be mixed in with Sudi’s culinary anecdotes of a life spent deliciously. There is a surprise foodie PRIZE TOO.
We would love you to join in!
The quiz will last an hour and cost you nothing as The Chefs’ Forum will pay a £5.00 entry fee for each of up to twenty chefs each Monday. Don’t worry, if you don’t get onto this week’s quiz, you will be first on the list for next week’s quiz.
It will be fun, noisy, not too hard, with plenty of multiple choice questions too, and time for a bit of banter with fellow chefs!
Testimonials from last Sunday’s quiz:
“Great fun, I am definitely back next week”. Chef Sven-Hanson Britt, Masterchef the Professional Rematch winner 2019
“That was fun! Hard, but we learned a lot of new food trivia, we’ll join again in the future.” Philip Evans, co-founder Pelagonia Foods (participating from Macedonia!!)
To register your free place, email catherine@redcherry.uk.com
Comax are Open for Business – Supplying Takeaway Food Packaging, Cleaning & Hygiene Essentials and Much More!
Established in 1992 Comax is one of the largest independent wholesalers in Southern England, specialising in the catering, leisure, care home and janitorial markets, supplying a comprehensive range of catering, glassware, crockery and janitorial products. Comax offers more than quality products; you get a professional and experienced team committed to meeting customer needs and an unrivalled level of service from the point of order through to delivery.
With over 9,000 product lines and a vast showroom packed full of the latest tableware and commercial catering equipment from leading industry manufacturers, Comax are able to offer you the right solution at the right price to meet your specific business needs.
We want to take this opportunity to reassure you that we are continuing to operate normal office opening times and deliveries. We’re here to help with takeaway food packaging, cleaning & hygiene essentials and much more. Call our team on 01202 684111 or email sales@comaxuk.com for more information. Office opening hours 8am–5.30pm Monday – Friday.
Walter Rose & Son Launch NEW Contactless Website to Help Families Across Wiltshire in Self-isolation
The Cook family at Walter Rose and Son are delighted to announce that they have launched a brand-new, purpose-built website to enable customers to order essentials online with contactless payment and delivery to their door.
The new website has been developed exclusively to manage the surge of orders during the Covid-19 pandemic to cope with unprecedented demand for efficient contactless delivery now the country is in lockdown.
Walter Rose prides itself on sourcing the finest local produce from top quality suppliers and it is due to these long-standing relationships that their supply chain is completely unaffected at this difficult time.
Director, Steve Cook said: “Our valued customers must know that our supply chains are fully-stocked, and we can feed people across Wiltshire and beyond with top quality meat, veg and essential items and quickly deliver them to their door with our fleet of refrigerated vans. We have plentiful stock in the fields all around us, so no problems with sourcing it, unlike supermarkets, whose produce is largely-sourced from overseas countries like Poland & Romania.”
Our dedicated staff are carefully fulfilling and despatching orders as they come in. We cover all areas across the south of the UK, including London and will deliver free of charge across Wiltshire and surrounds. We are more than happy to assist the public who have now been told to stay at home by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.”
Walter Rose is offering a FREE home delivery service for customers across Wiltshire aimed at minimising the spread of Coronavirus. Walter Rose will also deliver up and down the country for a small delivery fee, including into London.
The award-winning butchers shop in Devizes is taking their locally sourced, top quality meat, fish, vegetable boxes, eggs, milk and delicatessen items in Swindon, as well as to addresses up and down the country as concerns grow about Covid-19 infection.
Steve continued: “The supermarkets are making people wait, often weeks, for the next available delivery slot – This can add to already heightened levels of anxiety. Our customers can rest-assured that they will receive beautiful local produce, within a day of placing the order. It is this impeccable, well-organised service and optimum product quality that has built our reputation over the last forty-four years. We are proud to be able to help at this difficult time.”
Walter Rose are urging customers to tell friends and family about this fantastic service with a far faster turnaround than many other delivery options, with excellent quality and service guaranteed.
The Cook family have run the butchers shop on Sidmouth Street, Devizes for forty-four years, and prides themselves at being at the heart of the community as well as professional kitchens on a national level. Today, brothers Jack and Charlie Cook head-up the business as a local retail and national online and catering butchers.
Top quality local beef, lamb, pork and poultry is on offer, as well as award-winning sausages in seventeen varieties, fresh Cornish fish and a fully stocked deli counter with over fifty different cheeses and a fantastic selection of condiments, biscuits and sweet treats. Eating great quality produce not only boosts overall health and maintains strength but helps to cheer people up in these uncertain times.
Jack Cook added: “Self-isolation is an act of care for your community, as well as yourself.
“Our more vulnerable customers are anxious about visiting some shops and worried about the possibility of having to stay at home at some point in the future.
“Offering delivery to the door and picking up other essential items en route, while Covid-19 is around is our attempt to reassure and thank our customers for taking the responsible step of self-isolating.
“If we all think of our community and each other first, rather than just ourselves, we believe our whole society will cope much better.”
Brother, Charlie Cook concluded: “It is important that we all do our bit to help each other in tough times like these.
“This kind of togetherness is the kind of glue that holds everyone together.
“Using our fleet of twenty-five refrigerated vans to ensure we deliver fresh produce to our customers in perfect condition seems the natural thing to do and common sense, when residents, especially the elderly and high-risk groups are being advised to stay indoors.
We’re still here at the end of the phone for a chat and are more than happy for customers to call the shop on 01380 722335 to make their orders. We can send out price lists if required.
Alternatively, please order online via the new, purpose-built site: www.walterroseandson.co.uk
Walter Rose & Son Offer a Helping Hand to Chefs and Their Families in Self-isolation
The Cook family at Walter Rose and Son are delighted to offer a free home delivery service for customers aimed at minimising the spread of Coronavirus.
The award-winning butchers shop in Devizes is taking their locally sourced, top quality meat, fish and delicatessen items to addresses up and down the country as concerns grow about Covid-19 infection.
The Cook family have run the butchers shop on Sidmouth Street, Devizes for forty-four years, and Walter Rose prides itself on being at the heart of the community as well as professional kitchens on a national level. Today, brothers Jack and Charlie Cook head-up the business as a local retail and national online and catering butchers.
Top quality local beef, lamb, pork and poultry is on offer, as well as award-winning sausages in seventeen varieties, fresh Cornish fish and a fully stocked deli counter with over fifty different cheeses and a fantastic selection of condiments, biscuits and sweet treats. Eating great quality produce not only boosts overall health and maintains strength but helps to cheer people up in these uncertain times.
Jack Cook (pictured) said: “Self-isolation is an act of care for your community, as well as yourself.
“Our more vulnerable customers are anxious about visiting some shops and worried about the possibility of having to stay at home at some point in the future.
“Offering delivery to the door and picking up other essential items en route, while Covid-19 is around is our attempt to reassure and thank our customers for taking the responsible step of self-isolating.
“If we all think of our community and each other first, rather than just ourselves, we believe our whole society will cope much better.”
Brother, Charlie Cook added: “It is important that we all do our bit to help each other in tough times like these.
“This kind of togetherness is the kind of glue that holds everyone together.
“Using our fleet of twenty-five refrigerated vans to ensure we deliver fresh produce to our customers in perfect condition seems the natural thing to do and common sense, when residents, especially the elderly and high-risk groups are being advised to stay indoors.
Jack concluded,
“We’re still here at the end of the phone for a chat and are more than happy for chef customers to call the shop on 01380 722335 to make their personal orders to be delivered to their homes. We can send out price lists if required.
If chefs are in self-isolation, we are happy to leave deliveries on the doorstep and ring bell to let you know that we have arrived!
Payment can be made over the phone on in cash on delivery.
We are fully prepared to deliver immediately and are actively preparing for demand to pick up in the next few weeks.”
