A Star-Filled Christmas

A star-filled Christmas
On Tuesday 27th November Phil Howard, star of BBC 2’s Great British Menu, Angela Hartnett MBE from Murano and Mark Kempson of Kitchen W8 will host a unique fundraising dinner on behalf of Hospitality Action. Guests will enjoy a Champagne reception followed by a spectacular three course meal, prepared by this top trio of chefs who boast a total of four Michelin stars between them. Taking place within Brasserie Joël at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, guests will also have the opportunity to bid on highly-prized raffle and auction prizes, just in time for Christmas.

Tickets are £95 per person or £900 for a table of ten and very limited.

For further information or to book your place please visit the Hospitality Action website.

Alternatively please email: fundraising@hospitalityaction.org.uk or telephone: 020 3004 5504

Charity Polo Day in aid of Hospitality Action

Hospitality Action is delighted to offer you the chance to attend our third annual Charity Polo Day:

Sunday 9th September.

The 2012 event is kindly sponsored by Beacon Purchasing and will take place at the Beaufort Polo Club in Gloucestershire. Featuring the food of the following award-winning chefs:

  • Martin Burge, Whatley Manor
  • Hywel Jones, Lucknam Park
  • Michael Croft, Calcot Manor
  • Sam Moody, Bath Priory

The day includes a Champagne reception, polo demonstration, the final of the Solitaire Salver, an outstanding lunch including wine and a delicious afternoon cream tea to be enjoyed after the polo match. Suitable for friends, family and clients this truly spectacular day is one not to be missed.

For more information click here

Cornish chefs take on shooting challenge

A group of Cornwall chefs swapped their kitchens for the countryside for the day as part of a campaign to encourage more people to eat game meat.

Sixteen chefs from across the county got together to take part in a clay pigeon shooting challenge at Colquite House, Washaway, near Bodmin.

It was organised by staff from Country Sports South West (CSSW) and Cornwall Food & Drink to mark the launch of a new campaign to encourage more people to eat locally-sourced wild game meat. The campaign supports Taste of Game, a national promotion run by the UK’s largest shooting organisation; the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC).

Game meat is an increasingly important part of the Cornwall chef’s repertoire. The clay shoot brought the chefs together to highlight the link between shooting and wild game meat.

The regional game food campaign is being run by Country Sports South West. Development staff will create and develop new opportunities for game food suppliers and shoots and organise game cookery demonstrations aimed at visitors. In addition, CSSW will help to promote regional game recipes, chefs, restaurants, gastro pubs, game suppliers and shoots via a consumer website and marketing programme.

Country Sports South West is a £1.6 million tourism project aimed at promoting the South West region as a premier tourism destination for country sports. The project is being delivered by BASC.

Annette Cole, from Country Sports South West, said: “The aim of the chefs’ clay shooting challenge was to highlight the link between shooting and eating game. We talked about the importance of sourcing game locally and the potential that country sports have to bring much-needed tourism funds into rural areas all year-round. Shooting is worth £270 million annually to the South West economy. We are working to make the shooting and eating of game even more of a draw to the area.”

“Game meat is a sustainable and good value food, which both consumers and chefs seem to want to know more about. Home cooks are particularly interested in learning how to prepare and make the most of these meats and the series of demonstrations by professional chefs that we have run at our events in association with Country Sports South West have proved popular .” Said Richard Huxley of Cornwall Food & Drink

The winner of the contest was Ben Palmer, head chef of The Plough at Duloe, who recently competed on MasterChef: The Professionals. Other chefs who took part included TV chef Paul Ainsworth, who runs restaurants Number 6 and Rojano’s in Padstow, Michelin-starred Chris Eden of the Driftwood restaurant in Portscatho and Jack Stein, son of Rick Stein and development chef at Stein’s restaurants.

The chefs were also treated to a lunch of pheasant and venison provided by local game food suppliers, along with other local produce from some of Cornwall Food & Drink’s members.

Chefs ‘Pick it, Cook it, Eat it’ at Community Farm

Glorious sunshine glistening on Chew valley lake provided a stunning backdrop for the fourth Chefs’ Forum event on Monday the 20th August, held in a tipi on The Community Farm at Chew Magna. The cream of Bristol and Bath’s top chefs and catering students gathered alongside local producers and suppliers for a meeting of minds, knowledge swap and ‘Pick it, Cook it, Eat it chefs’ challenge’ led by Josh Eggleton and Toby Gritten.

Guests were welcomed by Chefs’ Forum Founder Committee member Josh Eggleton of the Michelin starred Pony and Trap (a field away), then handed over to passionate Farm Manager Andy Dibben, who, after an introduction to the farm proceeded to lead Forum Member Chefs on a tour of his crops. Foraging expert Toby Gritten (The Pumphouse) also show-cased the hidden bounty  nature has to offer growing in and amongst the cultivated fruit and vegetables!

The attending chefs were then challenged by Josh to create a dish using gathered and foraged produce to accompany the freshly cut steak BBQ provided by local butcher Nigel Buxton following his steak butchery demonstration.

Pick it, Cook it, Eat it from The Chefs’ Forum on Vimeo.

The Chefs’ Forum launched in January 2012 and has since expanded to include highly accredited  chefs, catering colleges and top suppliers on a South West regional level.

Catherine Farinha, Founder Committee Member of The Chefs’ Forum and event organiser stated:

We are so lucky to have such a naturally beautiful venue like on our doorstep.  The Chefs, most of whom were on their only day off, relished the opportunity to meet with their peers, network and find out about the provenance of the fantastic vegetables available from this unique growing  project at The Community Farm.  It is also important to educate chefs as to the detrimental effect adverse weather conditions can have on the annual harvest –  this year has been the worst since its inception.

Andy Dibben added:

‘It would be like you chefs collapsing a soufflé, then inviting everybody in to come and see it.  That’s how I feel about showing you around the farm today but I also hope to show you how good it could be given the right conditions – It’s important to learn about the good as well as the bad in terms of growing’.

The Community Farm grow organic vegetables on 22 acres of land in the Chew Valley just south of Bristol. From here, it operates a vegetable box delivery scheme, as well as providing wholesale supplies to local eateries.   Open days as also on offer as well as courses and volunteering opportunities to promote knowledge and understanding of sustainable farming and food provenance.

Alison Belshaw, Community Farm Project Director commented:

“The Community Farm was delighted to welcome the chefs – it brought a real buzz to the Farm. Our farm manager, Andy Dibben, gave them a tour – and let them know how tough this year had been for growers because of the weather. We’re now looking at adding a ‘Chef’s Box’ to our range of vegetable boxes so that restaurants can order the freshest and best in seasonal organic veg direct from us and we hope to supply some of the Chefs’ Forum members – many expressed a real interest in buying from us.”

Suitable footwear for the occasion was provided by event sponsor Hunter Boots, and a talk on responsible shooting by Chef James Graham of Allium restaurant, Fairford, further enhanced the rural tone.

The Chefs’ Forum is sponsored by some great brands including Bristol Audi, Champagne Taittinger and Total Produce.  Our partners include fabulous local companies like Lovely Drinks, Bramley & Gage, Clifton Food Range and A.David.

New Forum Member Gary Gardener, Head Chef at Combe Grove Manor, Bath said of The Chefs’ Forum:

‘This fantastic movement has been a long time coming  and opening up communication channels is something really positive for the industry’.

The Chef’s Forum is a group of 150 chefs in the South West, all recognised in their industry, with awards including Michelin Stars and AA Rosettes. Led by Catherine Farinha , Josh Eggleton and Chris Wicks and Adrian Kirikmaa of City of Bristol College.

Members present at the well- attended the event at the farm included Sam Moody of the Bath Priory, the chefs from The Ethicurian, and The Star and Dove team, who have recently added the Totterdown Shakespeare to their portfolio.

Headline Sponsors