Top Chefs Battle It Out In Meat Vs Fish Cook-Off For Action Against Hunger

Things are set to heat up on 6th September at 6pm, as an epic Meat vs Fish cookery standoff takes place at Flat Iron Square, the new foodie hub in Bankside.

Founded and organised by  luxury hospitality recruitment agency, The Change Group, in partnership with Action Against Hunger, this bespoke fundraising event will see ten restaurants compete against each other using responsibly-sourced ingredients. Five will showcase fish dishes and five will make meat their star ingredient. One prize will be given to each category and there will also be an award for the overall winning team.

The question is, will it be a surf or turf team that comes up on top?

The current line-up of chefs taking part includes:

• Jenny Warner, originally from Finland, trained five years under Aiden Byrne before taking on the Head Chef role at The Thomas Cubitt. Through its relationship with fish supplier Murray’s in collaboration with the Lyme Bay Marine Reserve, The Thomas Cubitt is showcasing their commitment to ethical and sustainable fishing practices.

• Dale Osborne, who has worked at the likes of HIX Soho, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and the Chiltern Firehouse and is now the Executive Chef at Aqua Shard: the famed contemporary British restaurant sitting on the 31st floor of The Shard.

• Sam Ashton Booth, former Head Chef of Restaurant Story, has joined Executive Chef Mark Jarvis at Anglo, which opened in 2016 to critical acclaim, and was named the Observer Food Monthly ‘Best New Restaurant’. Specialising in modern British cooking, Anglo’s dishes are strongly guided by the seasons, and with a passion for sustainably, they use only the very best ingredients that are sourced responsibly.

• Dean Parker started his career at Lambert’s where he developed his love and respect for British and seasonal produce. Following this he moved to Paternoster Chop House (D&D London), The Ledbury, Sauterelle and then after a year at Tom Aiken’s, Dean joined The Dairy as Head Chef before opening The Manor with Robin and Dan in 2014 as Head Chef.

• Tom Simmons, influenced by both British and French cuisine with an emphasis on his Welsh heritage, has a personal relationship with each hand selected supplier and farmer, ensuring the best possible produce on the plate. This love and respect for ingredients and nature is the foundation of Tom Simmons, Tower Bridge.

• Josh Niemiec started his life in the kitchens of Quaglinos and Babylon at the Roof Gardens, and has since been plying his trade all over the world, most recently as Executive Chef for Gorgeous Pubs and now Executive Chef for Nushimi, Leap and New England Seafood. Specialising in Wild Salmon and Wild Tuna he has developed a premium Raw Fish offer that will be showcased with their Nushimi offer at Meat v Fish.

• CLAW started life in 2015 when Fabian Clark discovered that Britain exports approximately 80% of its crab to the rest of Europe and Asia. Believing crab and other British seafood are undervalued, CLAW want to more people to realise that they are fresh, healthy, high in protein and most importantly delicious. Taking out the middle men, CLAW deal directly with fishermen to ensure that they receive the best produce.

• Jacek Zywar, specialising in British/Mediterranean style of cooking has worked along Dan Doherty at the Old Brewery in Greenwich before helping launch Duck and Waffle at Heron Tower. It wasn’t until the start of 2016 when he joined as Head Chef to open Fullers’ new flagship pub based in Greenwich, The Sail Loft.

• Joe Howley, Head Chef at Salt Yard restaurant, is proud to be part of the Sustainable Restaurant Association and he strives to run his kitchen in the most sustainable and ethical way possible. The Group’s five restaurants and bars focus on small plates and Italian and Spanish cuisine, counting Salt Yard, Dehesa, Ember Yard and the Opera Tavern among its portfolio. All of which have been awarded a two-star Food Made Good Sustainability Rating as a result of sourcing locally and seasonally, reducing our carbon footprint and working to eliminate food waste.

• Group Executive Chef at Rail House Café, Etienne Bruwer, will be debuting his Chicken Slider at this year’s Meat v Fish. Etienne has worked in Michelin starred international kitchens for chefs including the Pourcell Brothers and Pierre Gagnaire (Rue Balzac), in London Galvin at Windows and most recently as Group Executive Chef for Rhubarb Food Design (Sky Garden, Royal Albert Hall, Goodwood).

The event will raise money for Action Against Hunger, a global charity committed to ending world hunger, by shining a light on the importance of sustainability and British produce, as demonstrated by the talented chefs and restaurants who take part.

Craig Allen from The Change Group comments; we are thrilled to be hosting an event to raise awareness for ethical and sustainable sourcing of meat and fish in the current climate. It’s going to be an exicitng event with lots of fantastic chefs involved, and it will be great to see fish and meat go head to head for the first time.

Meat V Fish

6th September, 6pm

Flat Iron Square

Tickets: £25 per ticket which includes 4 free dishes

Tickets and info will go live on Friday, 25th August 2017 at 10:00am via the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/meat-vs-fish-tickets-36741814757