Chef Magazine 45

Chef PIERRE G AG N A I R E

A SEASONED STORYTELLER L I V I N G L EG E N D

KEN HOM

2016

Issue 45

£5.00

w w w. c h e f m e d i a . c o . u k

THE JOURNAL FOR CHEFS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

LIMITED EDITION

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1000 COPIES

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£100

The chefs appearing in the Chef Book

Jeremy Ford

Martin Nisbit

Frederick Forster

Patrick O’Connell

Sarah Frankland

Jan Ostle

Eric Frechon

Nathan Outlaw

Pierre Gagnaire

Anne-Sophie Pic

Daniel Galmiche

David Pitchford

Chris Galvin

Theo Randall

Andre Garret

Neil Rankin

David Girard

Shaun Rankin

Frédy Girardet

René Redzepi

Brett Graham

Gary Rhodes

Paul Wayne Gregory

Massimo Riccioli

Anna Hansen

Eric Ripert

Matt Hay

Jordi Roca

Paul Heathcote

Olivier Roellinger

Jocelyn Herland

Simon Rogan

Ruth Hinks

Alain Roux

Mark Hix

Albert Roux

Phil Howard

Michel Roux

Daniel Humm

Michel Roux jr

Rachel Humphrey

Mark Sargeant

Gary Hunter

Antony Scholtmeyer

Yoshinori Ishii

Germain Schwab

Margot Janse

Julie Sharp

Tom Aikins

Martin Burge

Mark Jordan

Richard Shepherd

Yannick Alléno

Aiden Byrne

Thomas Keller

Adam Simmonds

Andreas Antona

Michael Caines

Paul Kelly

Clare Smyth

Jason Atherton

John Campbell

Atul Kotcher

Vivek Singh

Kenny Atkinson

Jonathan Cartwright

Nico Ladenis

Yolande Stanley

Sat Bains

Jimmy Chamlong

Eric Lanlard

Adam Stokes

Esben Holmboe Bang

Martin Chiffers

Arnaud Larher

Nathan Thomas

Sarah Barber

Daniel Clifford

Alvin Leung

Phil Thompson

Russell Bateman

Richard Corrigan

Giorgio Locatelli

Mark Tilling

Heinz Beck

Régis Crépy

James Lowe

Ben Tish

Alistair Birt

Luke Dale-Roberts

Thierry Marx

Tony Tobin

Galton Blackiston

Hélène Darroze

Nobuyuki Matsuhisa

Cyrus Todiwala

Raymond Blanc

Steve Drake

Colin McGurran

Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Benoit Blin

Thierry Dumouchel

Jeremy McMillan

Marcus Wareing

Paul Bocuse

Beverley Dunkley

Nuno Mendes

Marco Pierre White

Simon Boyle

Mark Edwards

Yasuhiro Mineno

Marc Wilkinson

Claude Bosi

David Everitt-Matthias

Ramon Morató

Alyn Williams

Henry Brosi

Andrew Fairlie

Anton Mosimann

John Williams

Jeremy Brown

Peter Fiori

Richard Neat

Martin Wishart

This book is a treasure-trove of great food.

A veritable anthology of some of the world’s best chefs and their recipes including Paul Bocuse, the Roux family, Anton Mosimann and Thomas Keller and many of the new stars of today such as Sat Bains, Jason Atherton and Daniel Humm. In total there are 118 chefs featured in this amazing collection. The photography is a work of art and the recipes are as diverse as the chefs featured.

This book has been produced to celebrate the 40th issue of “Chef Magazine”, a testament to the dedication and professionalism of the magazine. My wish would be that every cook worth his salt should buy a copy, look at it, study it and cherish it.

We have become a nation of food lovers.

Books, magazines, newspapers, television and the

media in general cannot get a big enough “bite” of this phenomenon.

Today I am merely a spectator but I would like to think that I was in the vanguard of this culinary adventure.

Looking back, in the seventies, it was like walking through a dark forest. Though I acknowledge that some of the chefs featured in this wonderful book are at the “cutting edge” of this revolution, it does not preclude me from saying that I cannot endorse some of the excesses.

When you study this book, you will come to realise that contributions of this kind cost precious time and money.

I would therefore like to extend a big thank you to the men and women who contributed so generously.

NICO LADENIS

book available at

w w w. c h e f m e d i a . c o . u k

Contents Industry topIc

Is there a Chef Shortage ......................... 08 talk to the chef

Pierre Gagnaire ............................................ 10 lIvIng legend

Ken Hom ........................................................... 16 destInatIon IntervIew

Beverley Hills ................................................. 22 chef abroad

Peter Templehoff ......................................... 26 MaIn IngredIent beef

Is it Wagyu ...................................................... 32 unusual IngredIent

Goat ..................................................................... 38 seasonal IngredIent

Apples ................................................................ 40 our Man In bangkok

Time flies, the growth of Bangkok’s dining scene.................... 44 Cooking the Books ..................................... 48 Cherish Finden.............................................. 50 pastry

Pressure = Reward .................................... 54 test of taste

CoFFee .............................................................. 56 cookIng In unusual places

An Army Chef................................................. 58 wIne and drInk

Rueda & Ribero del Duero ..................... 60 trIed and tested

Knives................................................................. 66 News ................................................................... 70 2

www.chefmedia.co.uk

Recipes pIerre gagnaIre

Parsnip Veloute ............................................ 15 ken hoM

Crispy Aromatic Duck .............................. 20 peter teMpelhoff

Mushroom Cheesecake........................... 30 steve crane

oxtail................................................................... 36 JaMes whetlor

Kid Shank and Quince Tangine ........... 39 andrew scott

Tarte Tatin ........................................................ 40 cherIsh fInden

April Shower .................................................. 52

CHEF MAGAZINE CHEF MEDIA LTD Network House 28 Ballmoore Celtic Court Buckingam MK 18 1RQ Tel: 44 20 7097 1396 For general enquiries regarding Chef Magazine email: peter@chefmedia.co.uk ACCOUNTS AND ADMINISTRATION Lesya Grebenyuk PUBLISHER Peter Marshall

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PHOTOGRAPHY Peter Marshall Geoff Dann Kuma Masahi Steve Lee Francesco Tonelli DESIGNER, ART EDITOR Zoran Simonovski movedesign@graphic-designer.com

SALES email: peter@chefmedia.co.uk CONTRIBUTORS Namai Bishop Simon Jenkins Nico Ladenis Andy Lynes Josh Sims Jean Smullen Regis Crepy Andrew Scott Calum Donoghue SSGT Simon Jeffries

EW N Inspiring your creations™

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Haïti 65% Origine dark couverture chocolate is a mix of 70% Trinitario and 30% Criollo high quality cocoa beans, harvested in Grand’Anse area.

Be seduced by its lingerining taste of citrus fruits and fresh mango enhanced by a fine bitterness.

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MICHELIN-STARRED RESTAURANTS A L I S T O F T H E U K A N D I R E L A N D ’ S M I C H E L I N - S TA R R E D R E S TA U R A N T S LONDON Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester Jocelyn Herland www.alainducassedorchester.com Gordon Ramsay Clare Smyth www.gordonramsay.com/ royalhospitalroad

ENGLAND The Waterside Inn Alain Roux & Fabrice Uhryn www.waterside-inn.co.uk

LONDON Darroze at The Connaught Hélène Darroze www.the-connaught.co.uk/ mayfair-restaurants-bars Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Ashley Palmer-Watts www.dinnerbyheston.com Greenhouse Arnaud Bignon www. greenhouserestaurant. co.uk Hibiscus Claude Bosi www.hibiscusrestaurant. co.uk Le Gavroche Michel Roux Jr www.le-gavroche.co.uk Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley Marcus Wareing www.marcus-wareing.com Sketch (The Lecture Room & Library) Pierre Gagnaire www.sketch.uk.com The Araki Mitsuhiro Araki the-araki.com The Ledbury Brett Graham www.theledbury.com The Square Phil Howard www.squarerestaurant. com The Umu Yoshinori Ishii umurestaurant.com

ENGLAND Midsummer House Daniel Clifford www.midsummerhouse. co.uk Gidleigh Park Michael Caines www. gidleigh.com Le Champignon Sauvage David Everitt-Matthias www. lechampignonsauvage. co.uk Whatley Manor Martin Burge www.whatleymanor.com Le Manoir aux Quat’Sainsons Gary Jones www.manoir.com Restaurant Nathan Outlaw Nathan Outlaw www.nathan-outlaw.com/ nathan-outlaw-restaurant Restaurant Sat Bains Sat Bains www.restaurantsatbains. com The Hand and Flowers Tom Kerridge www.thehandandflowers. co.uk

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L’enclume Simon Rogan www.lenclume.co.uk Michael Wignall at The Latymer Michael Wignall www.pennyhillpark.co.uk/ EXCLUSIVE_HOTELS/ eating_and_drinking/ the_latymer.aspx

ENGLAND Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles Andrew Fairlie www.gleneagles.com

EIRE

Patrick Guilbaud Guillaume Lebrun www.restaurantpatrick guilbaud.ie

LONDON Alyn Williams at The Westbury Alyn Williams www.alynwilliams.co.uk Amaya Karunesh Khanna www.amaya.biz Ametsa with Arzak Instruction at Halkin Hotel Elena Arzak www.comohotels.com Angler at South Place Hotel Tony Fleming www.southplacehotel.com Arbutus Anthony Demetre www.arbutusrestaurant. co.uk Barrafina Nieves Barragán Mohacho www.barafina.co.uk Benares Atul Kochhar www.benaresrestaurant. com Bonhams Tom Kemble bonhams.com Brasserie Chavot Eric Chavot www.brasseriechavot.com Chez Bruce Bruce Poole www.chezbruce.co.uk City Social Jason Atherton www.citysociallondon.com Club Gascon Pascal Aussignac www.clubgascon.com Dabbous Ollie Dabbous www.dabbous.co.uk Fera at Claridge’s Simon Rogan www.feraatclaridges.co.uk Galvin at Windows André Garrett www.galvinatwindows. com Galvin La Chapelle Jeff Galvin www.galvinrestaurants. com Gymkhana Karam Sethi www.hakkasan.com Hakkasan Tong Chee Hwee www.hakkasan.com Hakkasan Hanway Place Tong Chee Hwee www.hakkasan.com Hedone Mikael Jonsson www.hedonerestaurant. com HKK Tong Chee Hwee www.hkklondon.com

Kai Alex Chow www.kaimayfair.co.uk Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs James Knappett www.kitchentablelondon. co.uk Kitchen W8 Mark Kempson www.kitchenw8.com L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Oliver Limousin www.joelrobuchon.co.uk/ L’Atelier L’autre Pied Andy McFadden www.lautrepied.co.uk La Trompete Anthony Boyd www.latrompette.co.uk Launceston Place Timothy Allen www.launcestonplacerestaurant.co.uk Lima Robert Ortiz www.limalondon.com Locanda Locatelli Giorgio Locatelli www.locandalocatelli.com Lyle’s James Lowe lyleslondon.com Murano Angela Hartnett www.muranolondon.com Outlaw’s at the Capital Nathan Outlaw www.capitalhotel.co.uk Petrus Sean Burbidge www.gordonramsay.com/ petrus Pied a Terre Marcus Eaves www.pied-a-terre.co.uk Pollen Street Social Jason Atherton www.pollenstreetsocial. com Portland Merlin Labron-Johnson portlandrestaurant.co.uk Quilon Sriram Aylur www.quilon.co.uk Seven Place Park at St James’ Hotel and Club William Drabble www.stjameshotelandclub. com Social Eating House Jason Atherton www.socialeatinghouse. com St John Chris Gillard www.stjohnrestaurant.com St John Hotel Tom Harris 020 3301 8020 www.stjohnrestaurant.com Story Tom Sellers www.restaurantstory.co.uk Tamarind Alfred Prasad www.tamarindrestaurant. com Texture Agnar Sverrisson www.texture-restaurant. co.uk The Dining Room at the Goring Shay Cooper thegoring.com The Clove Club Isaac McHale www.thecloveclub.com The Harwood Arms Barry Fitzgerald www.harwoodarms.com The River Café Rose Gray www.rivercafe.co.uk Tom Aikens Restaurant Tom Aikens www.tomaikens.co.uk

Trishna Karam Sethi www.trishnalondon.com Umu Yoshinori Ishii www.umurestaurant.com W1 Restaurant Paul Welburn www.guoman.com Wild Honey Anthony Demetre www.wildhoneyrestaurant. co.uk Yauatcha Cheong Wah Soon www.yauatcha.com

ENGLAND 5 North Street Marcus Ashenford www.5northstreet restaurant.co.uk Adam’s Adam Stokes www.adamsrestaurant. co.uk Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House Adam Simmonds www.danesfieldhouse. co.uk Alimentum Mark Poynton www. restaurantalimentum.co.uk Apicius Tim Johnson www.restaurant-apicius. co.uk Bath Priory Sam Moody www.thebathpriory.co.uk Box Tree Simon Gueller www.theboxtree.co.uk Butchers Arms James Winter www.thebutchersarms.net Bybrook Richard Davies www.manorhouse.co.uk Casamia Jonray & Peter Sanchez www.casamiarestaurant. co.uk Chapter One Andrew Mcleish www.chaptersrestaurants. com Curlew Andrew Scott www.thecurlewrestaurant. co.uk Drakes Steve Drake www.drakesrestaurant. co.uk Driftwood Chris Eden www.driftwoodhotel.co.uk Fischer’s at Baslow Hall Rupert Rowley www.fischers-baslowhall. co.uk Fraiche Mark Wilkinson www.restaurantfraiche. com Hambleton Hall Aaron Patterson www.hambletonhall.com Hinds Head Kevin Love www.hindsheadbray.com Holbeck Ghyll David McLaughlin www.holbeckghyll.com JSW Jake Saul Watkins www.jswrestaurant.com L’Ortolan Nick Chappell www.lortolan.com Lords of the Manor Richard Picard-Edwards www.lordsofthemanor.com Manor House Hotel & Golf Club Richard Davies www.manorhouse.co.uk

Morston Norfolk Galton Blackiston www.morstonhall.com Mr Underhill’s at Dinham Weir Chris Bradley www.mr-underhills.co.uk Northcote Nigel Haworth www.northcote.com Ockenden Manor Stephen Crane www.hshotels.co.uk/ ockenden-manor-hoteland-spa/dining Old Vicarage Tessa Bramley www.theoldvicarage.co.uk Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen Nathan Outlaw www.outlaws.co.uk Paris House Phil Fanning www.parishouse.co.uk Paul Ainsworth at Number 6 Paul Ainsworth www.number6inpadstow. co.uk Pony & Trap Josh Eggleton www.theponyandtrap. co.uk Purnell’s Glynn Purnell www.purnellsrestaurant. com Raby Hunt www.rabyhuntrestaurant. co.uk Red Lion Freehouse Guy Manning www.redlionfreehouse. com Restaurant Tristan Tristan Mason www.restauranttristan. co.uk Room in the Elephant Simon Hulstone www.elephantrestaurant. co.uk Sienna Russell Brown www.siennarestaurant. co.uk Simon Radley at the Chester Grosvenor Simon Radley www.chestergrosvenor. com/simon-radleyrestaurant Simpsons Luke Tipping www.simpsonsrestaurant. co.uk Sir Charles Napier Chris Godfrey www.sircharlesnapier. co.uk Thackeray’s Richard Phillips www.thackeraysrestaurant.co.uk The Black Rat Winchester, Hampshire Jamie Stapleton-Burns 01962 844465 www.theblackrat.co.uk The Black Swan Adam Jackson www.blackswanoldstead. co.uk The Cross at Kenilworth Adam Bennett www.thecrosskenilworth. co.uk The Glasshouse Daniel Mertl www. glasshouserestaurant.co.uk The Harrow at Little Bedwyn Roger Jones www.theharrowat littlebedwyn.com The Mason Arms Mark Dodson www.masonsarmsdevon. co.uk

The Neptune Kevin Mangeolles www.theneptune.co.uk The Nut Tree Mike North www.nuttreeinn.co.uk The Park (at Lucknam Park Hotel) Hywel Jones www.lucknampark.co.uk The Pass Matt Gillan www.southlodgehotel. co.uk/EXCLUSIVE.../ the_pass The Pipe & Glass Inn James Mackenzie www.pipeandglass.co.uk The Royal Oak Dom Chapman www. theroyaloakpaleystreet. com The Samling Ian Swainson www.thesamlinghotel. co.uk The Sportsman Stephen Harris www.thesports manseasalter.co.uk The Stagg Inn Steve Reynolds www.thestagg.co.uk The Star Inn Andrew Pern www.thestaratharome. co.uk The Terrace (at the Montagu Arms) Matthew Tomkinson www.montaguarmshotel. co.uk/terrace_restaurant The Treby Arms Anton Piotrowski www.thetrebyarms.co.uk The West House Graham Garrett www.thewesthouse restaurant.co.uk The Yorke Arms Frances Atkins www.yorke-arms.co.uk Turners Richard Turner www.turnersrestaurant birmingham.co.uk Wilks James Wilkins www.wilksrestaurant.co.uk

JERSEY Ocean House at Atlantic Mark Jordan www.theatlantichotel.com Bohemia (at The Club Hotel & Spa) Steve Smith www.bohemiajersey.com Ormer by Shaun Rankin www.ormerjersey.com Tassili at the Grand Hotel Richard Allen www.grandjersey.com/ grand-jersey/tassili

SCOTLAND 21212 Paul Kitching www.21212restaurant.co.uk Boath House Charlie Lockley www.boath-house.com Braidwoods Nicola Braidwood www.braidwoods.co.uk Castle Terrace Dominic Jack www. castleterracerestaurant. com Glenapp Castle Adam Stokes www.glenappcastle.com Isle of Eriska Ross Stovold www.eriska-hotel.co.uk

Inverlochy Castle Philip Carnegie www. inverlochycastlehotel.com Kinlock Lodge Marcello Tully www.kinloch-lodge.co.uk Knockinaam Lodge Tony Pierce www.knockinaamlodge. com Martin Wishart Martin Wishart www.martin-wishart.co.uk restaurant-martin-wishart/ home Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond Graeme Cheevers www.martin-wishart.co.uk Number One (at The Balmoral Hotel) Jeff Bland www.thebalmoralhotel. com/dining Sangster’s Bruce Sangster www.sangsters.co.uk The Albannach Colin Craig & Lesley Crosfield www.thealbannach.co.uk The Kitchin Tom Kitchin www.thekitchin.com The Peat Inn Geoffrey Smeddle www.thepeatinn.co.uk The Three Chimneys Michael Smith www.threechimneys.co.uk

WALES Crown at Whitebrook Chris Harrod www.crownatwhitebrook. co.uk The Checkers Stéphane Borie www. thecheckersmontgomery. co.uk The Walnut Tree Shaun Hill www.thewalnuttreeinn. com Tyddyn Llan Bryan Webb www.tyddynllan.co.uk Ynyshir Hall Gareth Ward www.ynyshirhall.co.uk

EIRE Aniar Enda McEvoy www.aniarrestaurant.ie Bon Appetit Oliver Dunne www.bonappetit.ie Campagne Garrett Byrne www.campagne.ie Chapter One Ross Lewis www. chapteronerestaurant.com House (at Cliff House Hotel) Martijn Kajuiter www.thecliffhousehotel. com L’Ecrivain Derry Clarke www.lecrivain.com Lady Helen at Mount Juliet Hotel Cormac Rowe www.mountjuliet.ie Thornton’s (at The Fitzwilliam Hotel) Kevin Thornton www.fitzwilliamhotel.com

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INDUSTRY TOPIC

by J o n a s Te s t e r

There have been lots in the industry press over the past 12 months about the chronic shortage of skilled chefs. Cooking has never been so cool and trendy it is everywhere we look, we have Jamie, Marcus, Hemsley & Hemsley, Nigella & Heston. We have restaurants with global profiles, cookery books that look like works of art, Jason Atherton has just launched a perfume, is this to make you smell like a chef?

W

e have Masterchef, Come Dine With Me, Food mags ’n apps, Chef The Movie and now yes Bradley Cooper in Burnt.

POINT 1.

THERE ARE TOO MANY RESTAURANTS So where have all the chefs gone?

Let’s look at a few stats…maybe there are too many restaurants….

There has been a huge increase in the number of eating out establishments in the last 10 years. In 2006 there were 259,000 registered restaurants in the UK that has risen by almost a third to 334,000 in 2016 (office of national statistics). This does not include every food outlet, café, street food, pop up and take away. There are now over 8,000 fried chicken shops in London. That’s about the same number of buses TFL has on the road. Wherever you are in London just 8

Is there really a shortage count the number of buses you can see at any one time, for each one there is a fried chicken shop…scary!

Several key development areas in the capital are now visibly oversubscribed with restaurants. Kings Cross/St Pancras is a good example. The area underwent a massive redevelopment recently and all the big operators understandably moved in. Yes, there are days when the whole concourse is heaving with travellers but also times when you can walk round and count 8 customers in each restaurant. The going-in costs, investment, wage bill and rents will soon see some of these companies pulling out.

It’s the old boom and bust ticket and its not just London. Arundel, a small market town in West Sussex, albeit with a fabulous castle, has less than 4,000 residents but Trip Advisor lists 50 places to eat, no surprise that there is a high turnover of leases.

Survival of the fittest does not always mean the best.

POINT 2 DO I WANT TO BE A CHEF? Regardless of the high profile that food currently enjoys in our society historically catering is often a second choice career for school leavers and FE enrolment normally rises in years with poor GCSE results, it is often the parents and not the student who make these decisions.

With the viral growth of fast food in the 1980’s we also now have a huge sector of the industry that require staff with basic food training and little more. These are the branded outlets that occupy prime locations on every high street in the country and deliver high volume preprepared food that we have all got so used to.

McDonald’s, Weatherspoon’s, Ramada, Starbucks, the motorway service station. Colleges have

POINT 3 THE WORLD WE LIVE IN

of chefs? had to respond to this need by supplying large numbers of graduates with very basic training and qualifications. The jobs they move into are not challenging or satisfying, no surprise then that many don’t stay in the industry.

But let’s assume you are committed to becoming a great chef and want to get your qualifications some of the training facilities available and how they prepare students to work in the industry are simply not up to the mark.

Continued cuts in FE college funding have reduced the number of courses on offer and all existing funds are directed in favour of entry level qualifications targeted at school leavers.

With catering departments facing skill audits and redundancies across the country due to a falling number of applicants this is driving the experienced and highly prized hospitality lecturers out of the industry. Colleges are struggling to populate, deliver and fund higher level courses on a full cost recovery basis and risk losing their

status as centres for excellence. The impact on the catering industry, most noticeably chefs, is instant. The apprenticeship scheme has brought a lot of young people into professional kitchens and some of our TV chefs actively promote training, Jamie Oliver’s 15 is well known, Marriott have just launched their own Culinary Apprenticeship Academy and in London some of the best independent fresh food restaurants are homegrowing their Head Chefs of the future.

So what’s the answer? Well its back to basics.

Allow colleges more freedom in how they allocate their funding.

Improved relationship between employers and training facilities.

Outsourced training to be quality driven and not financially centered.

Raise the bar. A return to a better level of training, the old C&G 706 is a much stronger start than the current NVQ2, the French C.A.P even better.

“Does the informality of twitter have a lot to answer for and are there too many opportunities floating around on social media?”

(Gary Usher the Sticky Walnut) Gone are the days when as a chef looking for a job your only option was to flick through the latest industry magazine.

As a Recruitment Consultant I see both sides of the story. Clients with restaurants that they can’t find staff for, I hear Head chefs blaming agencies for the demise in the way they manage candidates to maximise their fees. Yes, I am sure that does happen, there are unscrupulous, greedy people in all professions but there are also a lot of hard working, honest professional HR consultants doing their best to fill vacancies quickly and cost effectively.

There is a growing sector of chefs in the market place who don’t give a tuppenny F**k, complete an online application for a job, undergo interview and referencing, agree and confirm an interview/cooking trial and then don’t turn up. No shows are now a common event in HR, this is not the agency failing the client but a result of the culture of our society. We are in a have now pay later world, traditional values are not universally accepted by the generation that have grown up with mobile phones, Google and Snapchat and look to Twitter as a source of progression. None of this is new but represents a gradual decline in the primary work force fuelled by long hours, poor pay and conditions, abuse of staff tips etc. and a basic qualification that does not meet industry requirements. Some employers are now offering a better work/life balance but still not as good as a tube driver!

A lot of this is self induced and professional kitchens have enjoyed a lot of bad press, the management style of shouting and bullying still happens but not as much thankfully, long and anti social hours, yes, low pay, yes, poor working environment, yes, quality of life, yes…But I have spent over 40 years as a professional chef and have loved every minute, I believe you have to be prepared to work hard to succeed in any walk of life and that’s all most Head Chefs are looking for, the right attitude and commitment and a willingness to learn. Easy!

So yes there is a skill gap but every restaurant can do a lot to improve their own staff retention and this will instantly relieve the pressure.

You don’t need to worry about the chef shortage if you are not short of chefs.

Email: info@thecheffoundation.com 9

TA L K TO T H E C H E F

10

by Namai Bishop

PIERRE GAGNAIRE

A Seasoned Storyteller

With over 50 years experience in the culinary arena, Pierre Gagnaire is a chef with a tale to tell. Namai Bishop meets him at his award winning restaurant London’s Sketch and travels to Rheingau as he Headlines one of the most prestigious International Gourmet and Fine Wine events of the year.

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P

ierre Gagnaire is without doubt one of the most revered living legends, lauded for his style of groundbreaking, modern French cuisine. Starting simply, way back in 1966 with a humble apprenticeship, just a year later he went on to train with the founding father of French cuisine Monsieur Paul Bocuse followed by working under the mighty Lyonnais Chef Jean Vignard. At his family’s restaurant in Saint-Priest-en-Jarez he honed his skills before launching his own string of successful restaurants, that now span the globe. Gagnaire’s efforts have culminated in him being ranked amongst the finest Chefs of his generation consistently, awarded threestar Michelin honours as well as receiving accolades from fellow chefs, including the ultimate Chef’s coup: The World’s Greatest Chef voted for by his Michelin peers.

Senior he may be, but his seemingly ceaseless energy keeps him in constant state of invention and culinary artistry. As he famously exclaimed on the release of his book “Reinventing French Cuisine” marking an epic 40 years in the industry “I’m still at the

12

TA L K TO T H E C H E F b y N a m a i B i s h o p

beginning. My best work is still ahead of me, and that’s a promise!”

GAGNAIRE: INVENTOR OF “CULINARY ODDITIES!” Recognised by his longtime friend and commentator Jean-Francois Albert as a “master of suspense, subtlety and humour” Gagnaire launched what was famously described as Les Insolites (or Oddities). They epitomise his signature style: a magical mystery tour of tastes and textures, presented often on 4 or 5 small plates surrounding the main component of a dish. These have been referred to as “short stories traversing a diverse plain, yet contained therein a craft that is the stuff of novels.” With them the Chef dared to develop back in an era when ‘haute cuisine’ circles decreed stern sobriety and a reverence for tradition, a radical contemporary twist to fine dining. The Chef continues to this day to surprise and delight his guests with these Insolites as he pulls rabbits out of his chef’s toque. How appropriate therefore

that the next time I speak to him is in the Alice in Wonderland-worthy setting of Sketch restaurant in the heart of London’s West End.

AN “AWKWARD YOUTH” AN ARDUOUS PATH Indeed Gagnaire’s youth was dominated by a love of jazz and football and it was not until much later in life that Gagnaire fully focused on his career as a creative chef. For years, he had been constrained by his formal training and techniques dictated at his family restaurant where he began work at 26. At thirty he opened his own restaurant and in 1992 launched a new restaurant where in just one year he gained three Michelin stars and international acclaim. But his luck turned: in 1996, he lost his restaurant and left the town. It taught Gagnaire an important lesson however, to successfully temper creativity with the practicalities of business. “What made me bounce back was that I’m steady, reasonable - I was never a diva! I always knew it was

about being creative yes, but you’ve also got to pay the supplier! You have to be balancing creativity with commercial reality.”

Lessons learned and with an undefeated spirit, he set up in Paris where his tenacity was rewarded: just two years later at his Rue Balzac dining room, he triumphantly regained his three Michelin rating that deservedly, he retains to this day.

“I learn to cook, I have cooked, I like to cook....”. This one phrase narrates his own past and present: he says “when I was first placed in front of the stove, it was without any real desire. I endured cooking and the techniques endured me; the love for the art of cooking came much later.” Once Gagnaire set himself free from the shackles of established rules and recipes and conjured up his own style, he was able to create his own magic.

“To cook is to labor. It is a repetitive task that is often arduous, sometimes thankless, and on occasion hazardous. However, it is also an authentic source of happiness when it evolves into creativity. For me, cooking found its true meaning when it ceased to be a blind religion of methods and memories without discernment. Cooking only became daily happiness when I dared to refuse to use the same crippling approach day after day.”

The tough years taught Gagnaire lessons he now passes on to his own young chefs. He advises them to look beyond the norm, past the usual realms of what you may consider cooking to be. “Chefs I trained now work all over the world in a range of different roles!

Success doesn’t come from a 3 Michelin rating or a box-office TV show. Rethink what a true Chef is; some of my Chefs are now working in catering, some work on a Safari reserve, some even on a remote Norwegian oil platform!

There are many ways to cook. Identify exactly what you want and strive for it. I can’t transmit my skills to my young chefs but I can share my experience and give them the key to express what they have inside them personally.

Look for your own voice, don’t just follow convention. Tell your own story!”

NARRATIVE CUISINE “I use food to tell stories” he told me.

He gives me an example of how he searched to bring that narrative and truth in cooking at his restaurant project Fouquets at the Majestic Barriere Hotel in Paris famed Champs Elysées. Here he worked tirelessly to search for the very essence of what Fouquets was, in order to reinvent a long heralded dining institution. “I saw this world famous

PIERRE GAGNAIRE JOINS ROUX FAMILY TO JUDGE ROUX SCHOLARSHIP Gagnaire’s acclaim continues to grow and just last month The Roux family recently announced that Pierre Gagnaire will join the judges at this year’s final as Honorary President of the Judges. On releasing the news, Michel Roux OBE stated “I am so delighted to share the Roux Scholarship with my great friend, Pierre Gagnaire as Honorary Judge alongside my son, Alain and nephew, Michel in their debut as joint chairmen. Quite simply, Chef Pierre is a unique talent whose capacity for brilliant innovation is unrivalled and enjoyed across the globe in his acclaimed restaurants. No wonder he has been chosen by two of our scholars as their stage destination of choice, an incredible tribute.”

Gagnaire’s reaction was one of characteristic humbleness: “It is a great honour to be a part of this event. I have huge respect for the Roux brothers who were the pioneers of French cuisine in Great Britain. This is a unique event promoting our culinary culture and allowing the next generation of chefs to come out of the shadows for good. I hope I can live up to expectation.”

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brand of French Brasserie like a classic car in a way, a Sketch of the 60’s. But, as is often with a classic, it was in need of repair. So we renovated it!”. Going deep in the bonnet he tinkered until he refined the menu to a simple collection of traditional, basic dishes “a new French, but nothing too creative, trustable, reliable, true”. He adds “It seemed a simple refinement but simplicity can be the most difficult task - it was a challenging project.” Under Gagnaire’s creative talent, it is proving hugely popular and the chain is rapidly expanding, from Marrakesh to Cannes, Courchevel to (upcoming) NYC. All too cautious of Chefs with cookie-cutter establishments and photocopy menus, he adds “you don’t want a cassoulet in Cannes!

So we give each destination it’s own adaptation and sense of place” It’s this profound understanding of regionality that has shaped his latest projects.

REGIONALITY Like with his latest two ventures, Peir (the Chef’s own first name in Gorde’s local Provençal lingo) and Maison 1888 in Vietnam, Gagnaire speaks steadfastly of a sense of place. In the former, the diminutive dining room with just 18 covers, set deep in the heart of South of France, contradicts all that is contrived about the notions of the Provençal cuisine (cue predictable garlic, olives and tomatoes) and instead looks to

its rich geographical setting, for inspiration.

Gagnaire’s narrative turns positively poetic as he reels off examples of the terroir, rich in spring water sources and ochre-coloured lands. He uses these cues to create a culinary picture of the region that is far removed from the parody of Provence. Describing the setting, Gagnaire demonstrated his love of words and how they help him create his menus. Similarly, when he talks of Vietnam, his words are peppered with scents, colours and smells of the land.

His words, as he speaks to me in his native French, are consistently positive, colourful and eloquent.

This Paris restaurant is in contrast to his own eponymous establishment in the same city. “My Paris house is my place to construct, day after day my own tales. Cooking is my opportunity to spread a feeling. There we experiment, it’s my method of communication.

Cooking is a form of therapy to me, to let out my energy, yes even rage when as a young man, I lacked direction and left school early.”

Balance is something Gagnaire had found too in his personal as well as professional life. Indeed his upcoming book 5ieme Saison is an ode to the ordered domesticity he has created. With 4 grandchildren, and now 14 years into a new relationship with Sylvie, herself with 3 children, the book was what Gagnaire describes as a “Command Familial” - almost a family obligation. It marks a chapter in his own life where he has found domestic peace.

It was not always so.

“I’ve made peace with my boys. I was not always there for them. I made choices that meant I gave up a lot for my work and created hurt. I haven’t travelled a straight line! But I have the peace now that those people on that path are now alongside me.

Now I have the full support of my family and that’s important to me.”

A WELL SEASONED CHEF He has been quoted as saying “One does not gingerly enter in my culinary universe!”.

A rule breaker, a man of stamina, vitality and enduring passion, he cooks today with the same gusto that that kept him firmly in the game for 50 years. Most palpably however, Gagnaire is a charming and gracious man, personable and warm. “I love people! I love to share with people. Cooking allows me to do that.” “Such is my work. Such is my lifestyle.

Such is my life.” And a long and rich one it continues to be. Long live this legend!

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TA L K TO T H E C H E F b y N a m a i B i s h o p

Recipe

by Pierre Gagnaire

PARSNIP VELOUTÉ with Mostarda di Cremona, bitter salads

INGREDIENTS 6 portions Preparation time: 15 minutes cooking Cooking time:30 minutes PARSNIPS (peeled and chopped): 500 g MILK: 75 cl BUTTER: 60 g MOSTARDA DI CREMONA: 100 g (in Italian delicatessens) ● NUTMEG ● ● ● ●

● 2 RED BELGIAN ENDIVES ● CHICORÉE DE TRÉVISE : 120 g ● CURLY LETTUCE (chopped): 120 g ● SHALLOTS: 2 ● WALNUT OIL: 3 tablespoons ● WHITE BALSAMIC VINEGAR: 1 tablespoon ● SALT & PEPPER

METHOD 1. PARSNIP VELOUTÉ Cook the parsnips for 30 minutes in the boiling milk (slightly salted).

Drain the parsnips and mix them with the butter. Add the milk used for their cooking to get a clear velouté.

Drain the fruits of mostarda di Cremona and slice them very thinly. Add them with the mustard syrup in the parsnip velouté with shredded nutmeg (about half a coffee spoon).

2. SALADS Put the 3 salads together in a big bowl with the shallots. Flavour them with walnut oil, white balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper and mix.

PRESENTATION: Lay the salad mix in a soup plate and pour the velouté all around. + you can add some thin slices of Mostarda di Cremona fruits on the top.

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LIVING LEGEND

by Josh Sims

KEN hom

“Did I know about all the problems I’d have before I opened? No,” says a jovial Ken Hom, of his MEE restaurant in Copacabana, now recipient of an Asian Restaurant of the Year award and a Michelin Star in awarded in May 2015, one of only 6 Michelin Star restaurants in Rio de Janerio. “I opened there because I like to holiday there. I thought the restaurant would pay for my trips to Brazil.”

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H

e is only half-joking, quite possibly not at all. These days, Hom says, most of what he does has some, more personal alternative motive - although he notes that Brazil is only at first glance an unexpected location for the man who used TV to first popularise Asian food in the UK to open a pan-Asian restaurant. Links between Brazil and China are on the up, while Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan.

Indeed, just one such problem - the prohibitive expense of paying chefs to move to Brazil to work at MEE - was solved by recruiting and training Japanese chefs in Sao Paulo.

“Then there are all the frustrations of the regulations as to what you can bring into Brazil,” he adds. “No truffles, for example - so I smuggled those in. And then there is the fact

that, over there, they just know me as a chef. I don’t have the notoriety I have in the UK. That’s why the restaurant has to rest on its food although being in the most iconic hotel in Latin American helps. It has one of the best pools in the world you know? Still, it’s down to the experience people have at the restaurant and whether they come back. But do I have plans now for other restaurants? Absolutely not.”

Hom says that with a mixture of relief and glee. As his friend Alain Ducasse once told him, Hom is “’the smartest of us all - you’ve created a brand without having to have a restaurant’.” Indeed, such is Hom’s success in putting his name to products - his wok, most famously, of which to date some 8m have been bought in 69 countries - that is it easy to forget he is a jobbing chef, with a track

record including work for Cathay Pacific, the Peninsular Group and the Mandarin Oriental Group both as a chef and a trainer of chefs.

Latterly he has produced a ready meal range for Tesco, successful, like other projects, he says, “because I have total involvement. I’m actually a pain in the ass before I sign off.”

That has meant constant adjustment of the recipes, for example, not to mention pushing the supermarket giant to do what it didn’t really want to do.

“I’m always fighting with these companies to put more flavour into the dishes,” Hom says, somewhat exasperated.

“They always under-estimate the British public and won’t make them spicy enough. And yet the sauces I’ve done where I’ve insisted that they are spicier have always been the best17

sellers. But if you have a restaurant empire to run, typically you don’t have the time to get that involved in such a project, and that makes it risky. I don’t have an empire.”

Not, at least, one of bricks and mortar.

Perhaps, rather, his skill as a brand manager is equal that as a chef: he stresses the need to think long-term, and to be very picky. “Look at Keith Floyd - he slapped his name on everything and his brand became worthless,” Hom notes.

That’s why Hom has rejected more offers than he has accepted: that’s a no to the scented room de-odorants, bewildered. Then there was the CD. Hom is a big music fan. “They wanted me to do a CD of music to cook to, but didn’t want me to pick the music. So no,” he says. “I’ve been offered license deals when I could have used the money, but they just didn’t feel right.”

Despite this ability to manage his own credibility well, Hom insists, however, that he is no entrepreneur. He admits that he probably wouldn’t have launched a branded wok himself back then in the mid-80s - although he did reject some 20 companies’ approaches to endorse a wok before he found one he was happy to put his name to, and that in part because the company gave him total veto over every aspect of the product.

“I’m happy just getting my royalty. I’m lazy,” he says, not altogether convincingly.

“I don’t own the restaurant in Copacabana either - but then I don’t get the headaches.

I leave those to professional people. In fact, just two weeks working at the restaurant was enough to convince me why I shouldn’t own it.

I like to sleep well.”

He even attributes the impact of his TV career more to luck than judgement, to, as puts it, “just being in the right place at the right time there was a base that was interested in Chinese food, which at that time was something people were intrigued by but had nobody to make it acceptable to them, or open it up to them,” he explains. “It helped I think that I was more of a teacher, which I really had been, without being pedantic. Sometimes you need someone to translate a culture, to put it into a language people understand - much as, say, Antonio Carluccio did for Italian food.”

It is, he adds, a process still on-going: “Absolutely Chinese food still has an image problem - it’s considered cheap and dirty,” Hom says, “in part because the people who first made Chinese food here, and in the US, weren’t really cooks. But the knowledge behind Chinese cuisine today is changing immensely - China is more open, we travel more, and there’s a generation of chefs that have grown up with access to Asian 18

LIVING LEGEND by Josh Sims

ingredients. And now we’re seeing the emergence of real Chinese food, and China’s regional foods.”

All this said, for all that he might present himself as this easy come, easy go man in Miyake, spending his days reading and swimming, cruising between opportunities to eat out - he has heard about a must-book restaurant in London’s Chinatown he should try but, sweetly, doesn’t want to jump any queue and opportunities to put his name to things, that still leaves room for him to get impassioned.

Hom may be wealthy on woks now, but he grew up poor - really poor, learning to cook under his uncle because it offered a means of escape as much because it felt like

his vocation - and even today waste upsets him. “It really bothers me,” he says - indeed, he is trying to get a TV series on the subject commissioned, but, despite its obvious timeliness, the un-glamorousness of the project is proving a stumbling block. “When I see what some restaurants put in the bin, all the shavings and skins that could be sauces and crisps, that’s their profits, and the same waste happens at home too.

“Culture is so wasteful because we have such abundance,” he adds. “But when I eat out if there’s anything left I take it home, or give it to someone - that’s a normal thing to do in Hong Kong. And there has to be mold on food before I throw it away. Waste really pains me.”

Recipe

by KEN HOM

CRISPY AROMATIC DUCK From Foolproof Chinese Cookery This is probably one of the best selling dishes in Chinese restaurants, in the West. Although it is available as a ready-cooked meal, nothing beats the home made version. Don’t be intimidated by the long preparation process. Most of the steps are quite straightforward and can be done up to a day ahead and the results are well worth the labour. Steaming the duck renders out most of the fat leaving the meat moist and succulent.

The final deep-frying crisps the skin beautifully.

INGREDIENTS 4-6 portions Preparation time: 15 minutes plus 2 hours’ cooking Cooking time: 2 ½ hours 1 x 2.75 kg (6lb) duck fresh or frozen 6 slices of fresh root ginger 6 spring onions cut in to 7.5 (3 in) length cornflour, plain flour or potato flour for dusting ● 1.2 litres (2 pints) groundnut oil ● ● ● ●

FOR THE SPICE RUB ● 2 tablespoons five-spice powder ● 765 g (2 ½ oz) Sichuan peppercorns ● 25 g (1 oz) whole black peppercorns ● 3 tablespoons cumin seeds ● 200 g (7 oz) rock salt TO SERVE: ● Chinese pancakes ● 6 spring onions, finely shredded ● Hoisin sauce

METHOD 1. If the duck is frozen, thaw it thoroughly> rinse well and blot it completely dry with kitchen paper. Mix all the ingredients for the spice rub together in a small bowl, then rub the duck inside and out with this mixture, applying it evenly. Wrap well in cling film and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

2. After this time, brush any excess spices from the duck. Stuff the ginger and spring onions into the cavity and put the duck on a heatproof plate. Set up a steamer or put a rack into a wok. Fill it with 5 cm (2 in) of 20

water and bring to the boil. Lower the duck and plate into the steamer and cover tightly. Steam gently for 2 hours, pouring off excess fat from time to time. Add more water as necessary> Remove the duck from the steamer and pour off all the liquid. Discard the ginger and spring onions. Leave the duck in a cool place for 2 hours or until it has dried and cooled. At this point the duck can be refrigerated.

3. Just before you are ready to serve it, cut the duck into quarters and dust with cornflour, or plain four or potato flour, shaking off the

excess. Heat the oil in a wok or deep fat fryer.

When it is almost smoking, deep-fry the duck quarters in two batches. Fry the breasts for about 8-10 minutes and the thighs and legs for about 12-15 minutes until each quarter is crisp and heated right through.

4. Drain the duck on kitchen paper and leave until cool enough to handle. Then remove the meat from the bones and shred it. You can do this easily with a fork. The Chinese eat it with bones and all. Serve with the Chinese pancakes, spring onions and hoisin sauce.

New Tafelstern ‘Delight’ porcelain from artis New from Artis, and a bright star in its newly launched 2016 catalogue is Delight. Delight is the very latest design from Tafelstern, which is distributed in the UK exclusively by Artis.

DELIGHT BY TAFELSTERN A key feature of the Delight collection is its supreme lightness.

This is down to a fascinating new material from Tafelstern called Noble China. The new collection owes its subtlety to this thin, innovative hard porcelain, manufactured entirely without lead, cadmium or animal components. It means that Delight is surprisingly resistant to chipping and glaze damage which in turn, leads to an extended service life. The bone white finish enhances the impression of discreet elegance. Its broad range of differently shaped pieces means that it will appeal to a wide cross-section of target groups in the hotel and restaurant sector.

The combination of elegance and durability is achieved through a high firing temperature of 1400ºC. This also gives

Delight its extreme glaze hardness. Since it carries a 5 year glaze professional warranty, it is the perfect choice for daily use in hotels and restaurants.

Selected price points include the Special Large bowl at £15.85, the 20cm Deep Plate at £5.88 and the Two-handled Soup Cup, which has a list price of £7.17.

Delight is just one of the many new products featured in the 2016 Artis catalogue. For your own personal copy hard copy call 020 8391 5544. Alternatively, the catalogue is available to download online at www.artis-uk.com/downloads.

Catch up with daily industry/Artis product news and views at www.twitter.com/ArtisUK_, www.facebook.com/ArtisTableware and now at www.instagram.com/artisUK_.

D E S T I N AT I O N I N T E R V I E W

by Calum Donoghue

Eating Local in Beverly hills Beverly Hills has long been recognised as a renowned culinary destination and home of the ‘celebrity chef’ with Wolfgang Puck, Curtis Stone and Thomas Keller. 2016 is set to elevate Beverly Hills’ credentials even further with the opening of three new dining establishments throughout the year; Avec Nous at Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills; The Belvedere at The Peninsula Beverly Hills; and Georgie and The Garden Bar at Montage Beverly Hills, partnering with star of the Food Network, Geoffrey Zakarian.

At the start of the year, the city launched a global luxury trend report, The Future of Luxury, which has determined many key food trends. This includes the rise of the ‘Localtarian’ - a sustainable lifestyle choice where conscious customers only eat local. Restaurants within Beverly Hills, such as The Belvedere and Maude, are leading the trend to cater to the influx of those seeking a menu made only of locally sourced seasonal ingredients. As the city embraces the ever changing food scene, we chat to the Chefs at the helm of these two restaurants…

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David

Codney Executive Chef at The Peninsula Beverly Hills

I

was fortunate to learn in the early stages of my career as a chef that you should never give up and you can do anything if you have passion and drive. I started fresh out of high school at a restaurant in Cleveland.

Straight away I understood the importance of knowing the detail of the ingredients, and at that restaurant the emphasis was on cheese so I learned the art of ripening, composing cheese plates as well as seasonality.

Learning those details is what fills me with passion and provides a thrill each time I step into the kitchen. The diversity of the ingredients is fascinating to me and that’s why I, where possible, try to grow my own.

We are growing as much as we can at The Peninsula, from lemon trees and kumquats to basil and blackberries, and anything else that we can put in our planter beds. I love that we grow food and produce here on the premises and make the most of the California sunshine - I feel that we should expand this principle into all public places throughout Beverly Hills.

Working in a hotel kitchen is an experience like no other, because every single day is different. The guests staying at

the hotel come from all across the world, some new and some returning, and that is what is so exciting. The success of the restaurant does not just lie with me, but with the entire team, and I have a phenomenal group surrounding me at The Peninsula.

Together we are like a big wheel. We are the spokes and at the centre of the wheel are the guests. We take great pride in giving our guests a memorable high quality excellent experience that is expected of this hotel and our dining venues. We prepare and serve them the best and most refined cuisine we can no matter what the meal, occasion or time of day.

I oversee all aspects of the hotel’s cuisine. Most recently, I was tasked with the tremendous undertaking of creating the new menu for the hotel’s signature restaurant The Belvedere, which re-opened in January. Seafood is at the heart of the Mediterranean concept menu and we focus on seasonally-driven dishes which have locally sourced ingredients of the highest quality and features a large selection of sustainably caught fish. Signature dishes such as Salt

Cod Croquettes and Grass-fed Lamb Tagine are rustic and simply prepared to really let the produce shine.

Fine dining is paramount at The Peninsula Beverly Hills, which isn’t just reflected at The Belvedere, but also The Living Room, which serves the legendary Peninsula Afternoon Tea while a harpist plays, and The Roof Garden, which is adjacent to the rooftop pool. Enjoying an alfresco lunch or afternoon cocktail in the California sunshine is a treat for our guests, and of course we have some of the best views of the city.

The opening of The Belvedere, I feel, has really set the bar for the city’s culinary credentials this year. The full transformation of the menu and interiors starts a new chapter in the 25-year history of exceptional cuisine for the hotel. We really recognise that guests now want to know where their food comes from and it excites me to tell them that many come from our very own roof. I am constantly on the hunt for inspiration, which means I am always hungry for the new, the up-and-coming and, more importantly, what it is that I currently don’t have.

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Curtis

Stone Chef-Owner of Maude

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D E S T I N AT I O N I N T E R V I E W

by Calum Donoghue

M

y restaurant, Maude, named after my granny who opened my eyes to cooking and food, is the culmination of all my life and career experiences captured into one intimate, little space. I’ve been so fortunate in all facets of my career, but truthfully, I’d been yearning to get back in a restaurant kitchen ever since I left my job as head chef at Quo Vadis in London, so when a small restaurant space in Beverly Hills became available down the road from my home, I jumped at the opportunity to snap it up as my own – and Maude opened in February, 2014.

Each month a single ingredient inspires a menu of nine or so tasting plates, and this celebrated fresh ingredient is creatively woven, to varying degrees, through each course. In May, the highlighted ingredient is garlic, it’s cherry in June and zucchini in July. Some courses call for the hero to be at the center of the plate whilst at other times, it plays a supporting role to the rest of the produce and elements making up the dish. By choosing a special ingredient to star in each course, from first bites right through to our petit fours, a beautiful challenge is born. By concentrating wholeheartedly on one monthly menu, inspired by one ingredient, we’re able to trial, test and taste to the nth degree.

As chefs, we get to break down the ingredient by thinking about each of its edible parts, produce that will pair beautifully with it, cooking techniques to draw out the very best flavours and textures, and how it can work seamlessly through the entire menu. My hope is for my guests to leave loving and appreciating the ingredient, the seasons, and its extraordinary versatility, just as much as my chefs and I do.

When I dine at my peers’ restaurants, I often choose not to see the menu and allow the chef to prepare something that they want to create.

All of the most incredible dining experiences I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy take place at my mates’ restaurants, where they take the menu away, pour each guest a glass of champagne and we can sit back and enjoy each course presented. I love that element of surprise… It’s the royal treatment and what a great perk of being in the industry! My aim is to give every guest at Maude that royal treatment, a true chef’s table experience.

I feel so fortunate to have gathered together a small team of chefs and dining room staff at Maude, who have come from esteemed restaurants around the globe including Alinea, French Laundry, elBulli, Torrisi, Vue de Monde and Joel Robuchon, to help bring this unique vision to life night after night.

For more details on the restaurants in Beverly Hills visit www.LoveBeverlyHills.com 25

I N T E R N AT I O N A L C H E F

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by Namai Bishop

Banking on winning

Peter

Templehoff It was while studying economics at university that Peter Templehoff discovered what for him was the true meaning of supply and demand in the market: switching economies of scale for ingredients and scales. A bursary followed from Cape Town's Institute of Culinary Arts, leveraging what for him would be a highly bankable career. His valuable contribution to the South African dining market is sizeable: heading a portfolio of five restaurants, within three Relais & Châteaux establishments of the 'Collection by Liz McGrath' (the late doyenne of South African hospitality).

Namai Bishop talks to South Africa's most dynamic chefs.

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O

ne of the jewels in the Collection by Liz McGrath is the Greenhouse restaurant at the Cellars-Hohenort resort. Set amongst the lush landscape of Constantia Valley, renowned for its long tradition of wine growing and world famous botanical gardens, the Cellars-Hohenort feels a million miles away from the buzz of Cape Town, but in in fact just a leisurely 15 minutes drive away. In the shadow of Table Mountain, the Greenhouse's dining room serves up a true reflection of its surroundings.

"My dad's South African, I'm a product of this environment and so is my food." Peter told me when I spoke to him hours before his signature menu was served at his dinner as part of this year's Obsession culinary festival.

Peter was one of the top chefs invited to showcase his cooking at Obsession 16 at Northcote, and as part of his visit, Peter hosted a cooking demonstration at the hotel's cookery school where I caught up with the Chef. As he prepared signature dishes featuring tuna and sea vegetables prepared two ways, he spoke enthusiastically about the South African environment he works in and how it influences his dishes. His dish demonstrated how the Atlantic Ocean is a major source of inspiration for him.

"In South Africa, waking along the beach in the morning you see masses of this amazing seaweed and sea kelp washed up on the shore.

The smell of the Kelp wafting from the Atlantic,

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I N T E R N AT I O N A L C H E F

by Namai Bishop

the visual, and the fact that's it's all right there freely available. It's made me incorporate the product and what it evokes into my dishes."

His demonstration took us through how he works with various sea plant varieties including sea spaghetti, wakami and kombu.

"Sea plants are an unexplored food.

They are such a rich source of minerals and nutrients, packed with glutamates, natural salts. Here I'm using the the sea vegetable's naturally occurring salts to cure the tuna" he said as he layered the fish with seaweed and weighted it down; after just 20 minutes we tasted the slightly salty and firmer texture of the fresh tuna, along with a salsa made of red onion, shallots, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, fish sauce, sake (reduced down) Dashi stock (dried bonito flakes & kelp for a smoky note), Dijon mustard to thicken (although wasabi would also work well), lime juice and toasted sesame seeds.

Visually, the textures of the ocean were represented by fried strips of sea spaghetti, tempura style and to capture the drama of the mist rising above the ocean, a nitrogen smoke of Dashi, made into powder and served table side.

"I stop just short of asking my waiters to whisper ocean sounds into customers ears!" But you see his enthusiasm for conveying all the elements of his environment onto his plates.

A second preparation was a simple canapé of tuna ceviche mixed with chive and a ginger mayonnaise served on a 'spoon' of kombu seaweed. "As at Greenhouse, we serve the main dish and its components as a canapés before, so the customers get another version of the main course taste prior to their main dish."

Among Tempelhoff ’s numerous achievements are being named a Grand Chef by Relais & Châteaux, Franschhoek Life Chef winner and Sunday Times Chef of the Year both in 2007. Under his direction, The Greenhouse has been voted as South Africa’s number one restaurant in the Eat Out Top 10 Awards and named Restaurant of the Year.

I asked him how working in Britain with Chefs, from Giorgio Locatelli at Quo Vadis, Marco Pierre White at Zafferano and Hambleton Hall's Aaron Patterson, who he affectionately describes as his "mentor", influenced his style.

"I'm familiar with the great British ways and visiting the UK again, I'm reminded of the great ingredients you have here there's a consistency to the products and it seems everything is available anytime.

In South Africa we work mostly with the local produce, so we stick to a more limited range of ingredients according to the distinct seasons. We don't import much - hardly any

fruits or vegetables we use are imported.

That makes our culinary scene almost entirely seasonal and local based. In Britain you can bring in everything and it's all right there at your fingertips. In South Africa it's more limited so the creativity and ingredient use is completely different. South African food is getting rapidly better - producers are really starting to take note of quality and upping their game."

When I ask him about the indigenous South African products he uses, he reels off a list a safari game keeper would be pushed to round up! "We're seeing dishes featuring venison, native breed Cloete-Afrikaaner beef, Laingsburg lamb, buffalo, springbok, zebra, water hogs, porcupines - I won't mention elephant."

What about local vegetables? "I like going North to forage for native Aftican truffles. I'm also using mielie meel (a coarse maize flour) alliums and turnip."

I question him on the varying styles across the stable of five restaurant that he oversees. He responds by telling me that each restaurant expresses its own regional context through the food served. "People can taste authentic regional products particular to each territory." He refers to the rural setting of his in land restaurants as well as the coastal locations of the two hotel restaurants (Marine Plettenbberg and Hermanus) with their focus on seafood. Here he can't help but indulge his passion for the surrounding nature "Sitting atop the hill, with views out onto the ocean and mountains, and lagoons, you're transported! In Hermanus you're looking out over a beautiful nature marine reserve, so there are no fishermen, no boats - all you

see is the vast blue and whales cavorting and calfing - right in front of you!" His love of the land translates directly onto the plate.

Indeed, the menu at his Obsession gala dinner started with a classic on the Greenhouse menu, a dish named "Release the Kraken!". It's lyrical title is an ode to the mariners of old, who braved the teetering waters of the Cape and along what, evocatively, is dubbed "Skeleton Coast", so-called for the ample shipwrecks and mysteriously vanishing vessels on its shores.

Legends - and locals - blamed deep lurking sea creatures for these disappearances.

Templehoff's dish alludes to these local legends, recreating 'lurid' squid tentacles, painted on the plate with squid ink and the ominous 'mists' (again, using nitrogen smoked Dashi) rising ominously from the water.

His second dish was another playful tale, this time a twist on 'Surf & Turf". A 'pork sandwich' of soft meat encased in a crunchy ciabatta crust featured calamari and both land & sea vegetables, all enrobed with the umame flavour of XO sauce (itself made with a mix of prawn and bacon flavours) to take his playful pun to a deeper taste dimension.

His main course was in stark contrast and like the man himself, hearty, honest and robust. He used a tang of bitter charred coffee to coat sweet venison - a local fallow varietal of deer, the difference between our European equivalent being that their diet of dryer shrubs, mostly aromatic 'Feinbosch' herbs imbues the meat with a gamier, more delicate taste than our venison traditionally tastes.

It wasn't long however before the Chef's culinary whimsy reemerged again with a pre-dessert of "beer, crisps & pretzel", this

My favourite 6 restaurants around the World I love 11 Madison Park in NYC- Daniel Humm is a real gent, he really was kind to me when I visited him and treated my like royalty in his kitchen. His food is also among the best in the world, by the way!

If you are ever in Montreal and need some inspiration and an awesome meal you must go to Joe Beef for dinner then Maison Publique the next day for Brunch. Both are pretty cool spots that serve simple and unpretentious food.

I also love a couple local Cape Town spots, really top class namely Hallelujah (awesome Asian influenced tapas), Kyoto Garden Sushi (our best Japanese restaurant) these are actually next to each other, as well as Chef’s Warehouse and Canteen for the best small plates in town. Then one spot which is also great, but a little out of town is Hog House Barbecue & Brewery, very delicious brisket and pork belly.

If there is one place in the world I would like to visit again, but not sure if I will ever will, it is a small 12 seater restaurant in Tokyo’s Yotsuya district called Suzunari. It is a Michelin starred kaiseki style restaurant which will alter your mind - you must book far ahead!

time a reference to the local pub culture.

Templehoff made a silky bitter-sweet beer ice cream, a custard of chips and a salty sprinkle of pretzel, all designed to clear the palate, albeit in a novel zingy-zany fashion.

"This dish is my marmite dish: you love it or hate it! It always gets mixed reactions."

Certainly this was a Chef who isn't afraid to take a few risks "I used to stick to very classic main courses and go more creative with my starters and desserts - but now I think, screw that! I want to throw more curved balls. I want to think outside the box at every stage, to tweak my main courses too so it's all more radical. People get it now, they're more open to it. They understand we are competing not just with Chefs in our own territory but now, with the rise of social media, we're in league with others all around the world - it's a global playing field".

International calibre he may be, but Templehoff remains deeply connected to his homeland, making this Chef, like his food, very much a product of environment. "We do want to use local ingredients and we're proud of our roots, plus lower food miles is better for the environment so it's a win-win scenario. Discovering yourself as a Chef, you have to have a connection with who you are and where you work. Yes I honed skills my skills internationally, working with some amazing chefs around the world. I take lessons from everyone although the key is not to copy, but to mould your own identity and when you're comfortable with your own signature then you can feel grounded and become a product of region. I want to tell the story of my environment, to explore the foods they historically used to eat here and use food to tell the tales. For example, we know South Africa was a stopping point on the spice route, so we have a rich Malay influence, also the English were here, then the Dutch, all creating a melting pot with the indigenous African cooking. This was the cradle of mankind after all, so we have an abundant culinary history and rich story to tell."

It doesn't take an ex-economist to tell us that right now is a great time financially to visit South Africa to see its vibrant cooking scene. "The exchange rate now means the South African currency the rand is so low now, it might as well have Mickey Mouse printed on it! Come spend your money here, eat our food, drink our amazing wines - this is new ground!" It seems this Chef has certainly hit the jackpot when it comes to quality of life and cooking in a destination plentiful with rich pickings.

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Recipe

b y P e t e r Te m p l e h o f f

MUSHROOM CHEESECAKE

CHEESECAKE MIXTURE ● ● ● ● ●

150g Mushroom stock 400g Wild Mushroom Puree 125g Philadelphia cheese 3 ½ Silver gelatine leaves, bloomed 2 drops truffle oil

Bring all ingredients to 60°C except for the gelatine and truffle oil.

Transfer to a liquidiser and blend until smooth, finish with truffle oil, salt and gelatine.

FOR THE CHEESECAKE BASE ● ● ● ●

100g Provita Crackers, roughly broken 100g Feuilletine 100g macadamia nuts, roasted 150g butter, melted

Place all the ingredients in a food processor, except for the butter, and pulse until rough. Add to a mixing bowl and combine with butter. Season with salt and pat well into a small dish of about 289cm². Chill until butter hardens.

FOR THE JELLY

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600ml Medium cream sherry, reduced to 300ml 150ml fresh sherry, alcohol burnt off 3 silver gelatine leaves, bloomed ¼ lemon, juiced

Strain and pour onto a chilled base (recipe below) to about 2cm thick, tap out excess air. Set in the fridge for about 2 hours or until firmly set. Pour a 3mm thick layer of sherry jelly on top and chill for an hour.

● ● ● ●

Cut into 2cm squares and garnish with celeriac puree, a dried mushroom chip and sorrel leaf on top.

Combine warm sherries, lemon and gelatine off heat and stir until gelatine is dissolved.

MaiN iNgreDieNT Beef

Is it really

Wagyu?

I

t's lunchtime in rural Sussex and there's an air of expectation in the Michelin-starred kitchens of Ockenden Manor, and not just because the brigade are about to get slammed by a check for a table of 25 at any minute. A corner has been set aside for head chef Stephen Crane to cook up some Red Wagyu/Sussex cross, a locally reared version of the most expensive and sought after beef in the world, for the very first time. As lights and cameras are set up to capture the moment and the fuel efficient Synergy Grill that's been wheeled in especially for the occasion comes up to it 400oC heat, Joanne Knowles from Trenchmore Farm hovers in the background.

'I have to admit, the Synergy Grill is a great bit of kit,' says Crane

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'I wasn't expecting all this,' she says, observing the hive of activity her product has inspired. Crane carefully slices an array of beef cuts and arranges them on a metal tray, some familiar like fillet, rump and

sirloin, some not so familiar like tri-tip (an extension of the point end of the rump) and spider steak. 'It's the 'last' muscle on the animal,' says Crane with a wry smile. A look of mild alarm crosses the face of Synergy Grill sales account manager Phil Wright who has realised that in a few minutes he's going to be sampling what is effectively a cow's sphincter muscle.

Earlier that morning, I met up with Knowles at Trenchmore, located just seven miles from Ockenden, for a tour of the farm. Started originally in 2010 as an apple orchard (Knowles, a former project manager, along with husband Andrew who used to design packaging for the food industry also produce Silly Moo cider), Trenchmore became a cattle farm when the fields adjoining the orchard became available in 2012.

Due to the wet spring weather, the handsome red coated cattle were yet to be put out to graze for fear of trampling the grass into the soft clay soil and were still housed in their architecturally striking Roundhouse home.

The open sided, circular cowshed topped with an umbrella-like fabric roof stretched over a metalwork frame is designed with the animal's welfare in mind. 'It's much less stressful for them, they can see each other at all times and the design creates a chimney effect which draws off the steam created by the animals so they don't get damp, which they really don't like.'

Knowles has been selling pure Sussex beef direct to local chefs including Crane while the Wagyu herd is being built up (although Dave Mothersill at The Salt Room in Brighton has already put Red Wagyu/ Sussex cross on his menu). 'One of the challenges with wagyu outside of Japan is that the gene pool is very small as you can no longer take 33

wagyu embryos, semen or live animals out of Japan. You'd like to have some variance so that they're less prone to disease and are healthier, so cross breeding is a good thing and Wagyu is not dissimilar from Sussex which has great marbling and a really good flavour.

'We inseminate our Sussex cows with Wagyu semen from Australia and America. Those we don't get into calf, because it's not an exact science, Tiger our Red Angus bull takes over and that is an exact science. He's a good boy,' says Knowles with a laugh. Knowles also plans to breed from the pure Wagyu bull that was grown from a embryo shipped frozen from America and implanted in a cow in the UK once he matures, and to harvest eggs from the herd's pure Wagyu cow that will be fertilised and implanted in other cows in order to grow the herd.

At Trenchmore, there's no need for the massaging and beer feeding associated with the famous Kobe cattle of Japan which, 34

i N g r e D i e N T: B e e f

Knowles explains, is done because the animals spend their lives indoors and are prone to stiffness and lack of appetite (the alcohol helps stimulate their appetite; to achieve high Japanese style marbling they need to eat an incredible amount) and is nothing to do with indulging them like pets which is the common misconception. Instead, Knowles is experimenting with growing barley grass in a chitting shed on the farm in order to finish the cattle and produce that all important marbling in a more natural way.

Back at Ockenden, Crane expertly grills half the meat on the Synergy Grill and pan fries the remaining half. 'Working with Trenchmore is great for me, I'm learning about all these new and different cuts,' says Crane who has been serving the farm's Sussex in items like the 'Trenchmore beef bites' of homemade bresola, diced tongue and oxtail croquet that accompany a rich white onion soup for several years.

We gather round and taste the meat, comparing the Synergy grilled pieces with pan fried. Both have superlative flavour and the texture of butter and you could easily confuse the scary sounding spider steak with a piece of sirloin, but those off the grill with their razor sharp bar marks and unmistakable smoky charred flavour win the day. 'I have to admit, it's a great bit of kit,' says Crane.

As lunch service heats up, it's time to get out of the Ockenden brigade's way but before we all go our separate ways, there's one more question I want to ask Knowles. It seems that farming Wagyu is far from being a straightforward business, and especially in the sustainable way Trenchmore is run (the farm was shortlisted for one of the Sustainable Restaurant Association's Food Made Good awards this year), so why bother? Knowles doesn't hesitate, and simply says, 'It's the most delicious beef. If you can, why wouldn't you do the thing that's going to be best?'.

35

Recipe

by Stephen Crane

OXTAIL CROQUETTE WITH HORSERADISH CRÈME FRAICHE

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

BRAISING LIQUOR:

Add to the carrots and cook until soft.

Add 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Coat the vegetables. Add one bottle of red wine and reduce on a low heat without burning until thickened. Add 2 litres demiglace and cook for twenty minutes after the first skim.

Continue to simmer and skim. Pass through a fine chinoix and set aside.

Take 4 whole oxtail, cut to 1 inch and dust with flour and seal on all sides in a hot pan.

Place in a deep baking tray. Add two star anise, five black peppercorns and a bay leaf.

Pour over the hot braising liquor and season generously with salt, reserve some for later.

Cover tightly with tin foil and place in an oven at 200 degrees C. for around 4-5 hours until

● 2 carrots, finely sliced ● 1 clove garlic, bashed ● 5 sprigs thyme SWEAT IN OIL UNTIL CARAMELISED ● ½ onion, finely sliced ● 1 leek white, finely sliced ● 2 sticks celery, finely sliced

36

completely soft. Remove the tin foil and keep basting the meat until glazed. Remove the meat from the liquor and reduce to a sauce consistency before passing through a chinoix again.

Whilst the meat is still warm but hot enough to pick, separate it from the bones. Flake the meat and mix with some of the reduced liquor and season with salt.

Roll the meat into tubes in cling film and set in the fridge overnight. Once set, slice into 1cm chunks. Remove any cling film. Pane the chunks in panko breadcrumbs and deep fry at 180 degrees celcius.

Mix some creamed horseradish sauce with some crème fraiche and salt before serving a blob on top of the croquette.

Benefits of the Synergy grill:

How does it work?

ü

Moister, more succulent food

the synergy grill revolves around a patented gas burner system which works at an incredibly hot temperature and a natural ceramic heat bed. high heat atomises fat so there’s no fat tray for chefs to clean and they don’t need to worry about the disposal of fatty waste.

ü

high heat, low gas consumption

the water vapour that’s naturally released from the fat and oils during cooking is also absorbed back into the food. This combined, with incredibly sharp branding gives an incredibly juicy and intense BBQ flavour.

ü

average gas saving of 52% (so eventually pays for itself!)

by incorporating gas and air in addition to using heat capturing ceramic technology synergy grills use 52% less gas. this results in less co2 residue than a convention burner creating cleaner environment for chefs to work over.

ü

fat instantly atomised – no need to clean a fat tray

ü

cool to cook over

ü

cleaner vapour with reduced co2

ü

faster cooking means faster turnovers

ü

thermal shock resistant

ü

sharp branding on meat

ü

No cross flavouring between different types of food

Justin Cadbury, Chairman of Active Food Systems speaks about Synergy grills atomising fat on the BBC:

ü

less cleaning of ventilation systems than conventional grills

It’s efficient because 52% of what you’re burning is air but it also heats up much more quickly. we cooked 100 steaks as a test and we had less than one sugar lump of dirt to clean up which was ash rather than fat.”

This patented system also prevents any cross-flavouring of meats or fish through smoke contamination. the sg6300 has a single burner. the sg900 and sg1,300 feature two independent burners with their own on/off switches to allow for modular cooking. synergy grills also route cool air around the grill to produce cool touch surfaces, making them less hot to cook over.

Gary Evans, Managing Director of Active Food Systems comments that: chargrilling technology hasn’t changed in over 20 years. the synergy grill revolutionises chargrilling with intelligent cooking and unique benefits that can’t be found anywhere else. This is the only product of this type in the world.”

U N U S U A L I N G R E D I E N T G O AT

Cabrito C

ooking with goat is a favourite ingredient with some of the country’s best and most interesting chefs, including many Michelin starred restaurants. Goat is increasing in popularity and is set to become a staple of the British dinner table. James Whetlor from Cabrito Goat Meat began selling goat meat, sourced from British dairy farms, to London restaurants in 2012. To reflect the increasing demand and appetite from diners he developed a range of products, making kid meat widely available to buy online at Ocado including chops, diced and mince.

Ex-chef James Whetlor didn’t set out to create an award-winning business. He founded Cabrito Goat Meat after needing help to manage his massively overgrown garden that hadn’t been touched in years. The idea was that four goats would help clear the ground. A chance meeting at Taunton farmers’ market introduced James to Will Atkinson at Hill Farm Dairy. “I ended up buying a couple of goats off Will to put on the restaurant menu at River Cottage” James says, “They flew out of the door.

I thought, ‘We’re on to something here’, and went straight back to Will for more.”

James also felt he could do something about the ridiculous waste of the male billy goats from the dairy industry, an ‘ethical car-crash’. He thought there had to be a better solution than gassing them as a by-product at a few hours old. Calling on his 10 years’ of chef experience and contacts in London,

38

James began working with goat dairies to supply restaurants.

James’ first sale was to Jeremy Lee at Quo Vadis in March 2012; and through word-of-mouth and thousands of miles on the M3 and M25 from Devon to London, James was soon supplying top restaurants. Today, he supplies over 70 well-known establishments including Mark Hix, St John, Quo Vadis and new restaurants on the ever-changing food scene including Marksman, Smokehouse and Pidgin and Antonio Carluccio and Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall amongst its fans. Cabrito Goat Meat won an Observer Food Monthly Award in 2014 for Best Ethical Producer.

Kid goats are a similar size to a spring lamb around 20kg - and have a delicate, sweet and musky flavour. It is lower in fat than beef or pork, is rich in potassium and has twice as much iron as beef. One of the things that make Kid goat so appealing is its global nature. The meat takes well to punchy flavourings including Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern herbs, spices and rubs. So many cultures have goat as a mainstay of their diet the recipe choices are almost endless. It can be smoked in Nigeria, or pulled in Deep South US BBQ dishes or cooked on a tandoor.

Kid goat occupies a nice middle ground. It is a strong enough flavour to stand up to the spice and heat of Middle-Eastern and North African but subtle enough to respond brilliantly to the herby, garlicy, lemony and winey based dishes of European cooking.

Recipe

by James Whetlor

KID SHANK & QUINCE TAGINE

INGREDIENTS FOR THE MEAT: 4 kid shanks 1 tsp salt 2 skinned tomatoes, crushed 2 medium onions, peeled and diced 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped ● 50gr butter, melted ● Pinch chilli flakes ● ● ● ● ●

1 tsp cumin seeds - toasted and ground 1 tsp coriander seeds - toasted and ground 1 tsp ground ginger 1 small cinnamon stick 1 large bunch coriander, leaves chopped, stalks reserved ● 350ml stock or water - warmed ● 10 saffron threads, soaked in the stock for 20 minutes ● ● ● ● ●

FOR THE QUINCE: ● ● ● ● ●

2 quinces, peeled and quartered 6 tbsp raisins 50gr honey ½ tsp ground cinnamon 1 tbsp butter

METHOD 1. In a bowl mix together the meat, salt, tomatoes, onions, melted butter and spices. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or over night 2. To cook, put the marinated meat in a large saucepan, and cook the mix over a moderate heat uncovered for 20 minutes stirring occasionally 3. Stir in the water or stock, saffron and half the coriander stalks; cover and simmer gently

over a low heat for about 2 ½ - 3 hours or until the shank meat is meltingly tender. Top up a bit with water if the sauce looks dry 4. While the shanks are cooking, bring a small saucepan of water to the boil with the honey and raisins and poach the quince until just tender, drain 5. When cooked remove the shanks from the sauce and keep warm. Remove excess fat from the sauce and add the quince

liqueur to taste. Season with salt to taste, and return the meat to the sauce 6. Heat 1 tbsp butter over a moderate heat in a frying pan. Add quince, sugar and cinnamon. Fry on both sides until golden and glazed all over. Add the raisins and toss gently together and pour over the meat 7. Serve in a warm serving dish scattered with the rest of the coriander 39

SEASONAL INGREDIENT APPLES

40

Recipe

by Andrew Scott

APPLE TARTE TATIN INGREDIENTS 2 portions

FOR THETATIN CARAMEL ● 250g Butter ● 500g Caster sugar ● 100ml Lemon Juice 30cm x 18cm sheet puff Pastry ● 2 South African apples ideally Braeburn ● ½ Vanilla pod ● 2 Star Anise Earthenware dish 28cm x15cm

METHOD 1. In a heavy bottom pan make a caramel using the cater sugar.

2. add lemon juice followed by the diced butter.

3. Cook out for 1 minute.

4. Pour caramel mix into earthenware dish to about 2cm depth, leave to cool.

5. Peel and cut the apples in half through the core.

6. With a Parisian scoop, remove the core and pips neatly.

7. Place the vanilla in the centre of the dish and star anise either side.

8. Place apples core side down onto the spices (Three pieces).

9. Lay the puff pastry over the apples and tuck in the excess around the edge , using a fork make a few breathing holes in the pastry.

10. Bake for 15- 20 mins depending on your oven @200c.

11. Once pastry is golden and cooked remove from oven and leave to rest for 2 minutes .

12. Turn tart onto a large oval plate being careful not to burn yourself on the sauce.

13. Serve with scoops of good old traditional vanilla ice cream.

WHY USE RED APPLES The more sunlight an apple receives on the tree, the redder the skin becomes Red apples tend to be sweeter than green Red apples also make a great addition to salad recipes Red apples contain an antioxidant called quercetin.

Recent studies have found that quercetin can help boost and fortify your immune system, especially when you’re stressed

SOUTH AFRICAN APPLES South Africa supplies red, green and yellow varieties Red varieties include Braeburn, Gala, Royal Gala, Sundowner, Topred and Fuji South African apples are available in the UK from March to October

Tarte Tatin History Stéphanie Tatin’s inadvertent “mistake” in cooking an apple pie up-side-down has become a part of culinary history.

Back in the late 1800’s in France’s Loire Valley, two sisters took over the duties of running L’Hotel Tatin after the death of their father.

Caroline managed the business side of the hotel and her older sister Stéphanie ran the kitchens. While she was an accomplished cook, Stéphanie also had a reputation for being a bit scatterbrained.

Her apple tart was already very popular with the local hunters. Legend has it that on this particular day, she cooked her apples as usual, in sugar and butter but something went wrong. It is unclear whether she was distracted and cooked the apples so long that they became deeply caramelized, or that she just forgot to line her pan with pastry dough.

Without time to start over, Stéphanie placed a sheet of pastry on top of the darkened apples and put the pan in the oven. To make it appear like her everyday tart, once cooked, she inverted it onto a platter and served it hot. The guests loved the light flaky crust and the deeply caramelized apples. It was an instant hit and went on to become the hotel’s signature dish.

Years later, her tart made it onto the menu of the famous Parisian restaurant Maxim’s where it was called La Tarte des Demoiselles Tatin (the tart of two unmarried women named Tatin). Eventually Stéphanie’s recipe of just four components – apples, sugar, butter, pastry dough – baked in an unconventional manner, became world-famous.

41

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OUR MAN IN BANGKOK

Antony Scholtmeyer

Time flies, the growth of

Bangkok’s dining scene

W

hen I arrived in Bangkok in September 2011 I remember asking a supplier which restaurant I should go to too celebrate my birthday, as a great special occasion experience. I heard the usual restaurants in hotels and not much else, I was very surprised that a city this big and with such a great food culture didn’t really have a lot to offer.

Bangkok and Thailand has a reputation for food and its many different regional styles that has built this great food culture. You can find it on almost every street corner. I meet many hotel guests who want to go out and try it.

Of course they are nervous as there are many horror stories of people eating

44

something and it not agreeing with them which usually results in a highly anticipated vacation spent in bed or at hospital. There is a simple rule to follow and it is if the vendor is busy then it’s good. And remember, nobody tries to make people sick; it’s just bad business sense to do that.

Many people try to be brave and challenge their intestines fortitude and mostly come off second best. The ingredients used are usually very different in flavor, spice, production technique, storage and handling to what we know. It is not uncommon to see fresh produce fly past you on the back of a “motorsai taxi” at traffic lights, an urgent delivery. Street

Bangkok and Thailand has a reputation for food and its many different regional styles that has built this great food culture.

You can find it on almost every street corner. I meet many hotel guests who want to go out and try it. Of course they are nervous as there are many horror stories of people eating something and it not agreeing with them which usually results in a highly anticipated vacation spent in bed or at hospital.

There is a simple rule to follow and it is if the vendor is busy then it’s good. And remember, nobody tries to make people sick; it’s just bad business sense to do that

food shops are very much specialty stores, boutiques you could say, they specialize in only a handful of dishes. This is important as it ensures high turnover and freshness as generally there is no refrigeration. It’s a guarantee of quality in not just freshness but also in cooking technique as it is what they do best.

Hong Kong and Singapore are known as the fine dining or up market meccas of SE Asia with many choices to eat at no matter the occasion and rightly so as they are considered top tier cities and world financial hubs.

There is a very big rivalry and now that Singapore will get its own Michelin

guide later this year it will fire up the debate even more. I have favorite restaurants in both cities where I have had great dining experiences, but sadly in Bangkok it was lacking.

When I worked in Singapore most of the good and high profile up market restaurants were in hotels, same in Hong Kong and Bangkok. At the infancy of these cities dining revolutions free standing French or Italian restaurants find it hard to make money and operate as their following is not as strong. Hotels can afford to run these restaurants as almost amenities not so much as profit generators. Many of the young chefs develop reputations and followings and like many of us, don’t want to leave. As the cities develop, local people travel more and have greater exposure to other countries cuisines and the demand eventually develops. So these young well trained chefs often from Michelin star back grounds have opportunities to open free standing restaurants usually with a financial backer behind them.

There is a big market in Bangkok for Michelin stared guest chefs which many hotels bring in every year. There is nearly one every month in a hotel nearby. At Sukhothai Hotel we had a strong program. It was great to see the influence, inspiration and energy they brought to the hotel. Menus, recipes and technique learnt by the chefs and cooks would soon find its way onto our own menus. Even this brought competition between hotels to see who had who coming and how many stars did they have. Bragging rights ensured.

Wind the clock forward four years and this city has grown so much with many local and international “stars” opening up and if you believe the rumors, even more to follow.

The Michelin guide doesn’t exist in Bangkok however there are other guide books available as well as the annual San Pellegrino top 50 in Asia guide. Over the past 3 years Bangkok has had a strong representation with Gagan and Nahm winning the gong for three years in a row as the best in Asia. This can only be good as it creates competition, just the same as Michelin guides and other guides do. A magazine with branches across major Asian cities produces probably the best restaurant guide in Thailand and awards it stars as mangos due to one of its sponsors. It sounds quite amusing to be awarded five mangos instead of stars, but it is still the same thing. I am proud to say that one of our restaurants Elements received five mangos and Yamazato our Japanese restaurant received four mangos to put us at the top of the pile as far as hotel dining goes in Bangkok according to this guide. For me this is interesting as winning awards was not the focus, generating revenue with a great product with value for money is and it was a pleasant surprise as I didn’t even know when the inspectors came.

With the arrival of international stars Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Jean Michele Lorain and Henk Savelberg opening restaurants it can only lead to better options. And what this does for the chefs already here is inspires them to get better at what they do whether they are expatriate or Thai.

These chefs raise the bar, train, inspire, influence and leave a legacy which I think is the best that can happen. Even for me and I’m not a spring chicken anymore, these chefs drive me to do better with my team. I even have books with their recipes and Joel Robuchon has always been one of my heroes, his restaurant in Hong Kong is one of my favorites and I have celebrated anniversaries at his restaurant in Bangkok.

I’m completive by nature and I don’t want to lose my five mangos and to be put into the same category of chefs that I admire to me is an honor as I’m sure it is to a lot of other chefs as well. So I have to work harder now to not only maintain but improve. It’s going to be fun.

Great, good and not so good restaurants open and close all the time however I do think the dining and culinary scene in Bangkok looks bright and if it keeps progressing at the rate it is now, hopefully one day we will also get our own Michelin guide and be truly recognized on the international stage.

45

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COOKING THE BOOKS

BaxterStorey’s new training tool sees sales soar

Following the success of Butter Wouldn’t Melt, Phill Skinazi and Annie Herriott from BaxterStorey’s food development team have created The Modern Baker, a recipe book celebrating the best of baking in the 21st century.

The book has been introduced to chefs as a new training tool and the offering has seen sales increase by as much as 30% at some BaxterStorey cafes and restaurants.

The 80 new recipes have been made available throughout BaxterStorey locations across the UK and Ireland estate to inspire chefs to expand their repertoire with a selection of unique sweet and savoury bakes that will excite customers. The book guides you through the 48

day to offer customers treats that will entice from breakfast through to supper. It combines modern classics with unusual and exciting flavour combinations such as breakfast muffins flavoured with HP sauce, beer and pretzel cupcakes, and green tea pancakes with red bean paste. It is giving BaxterStorey customers a range of new choices that rival the high street.

Phill Skinazi, executive pastry chef at BaxterStorey, said: “The feedback from our cafes and restaurants after the first book was fantastic. With the second book we looked to include more technical tips on things like understanding different flours and raising agents and bespoke costings. This ensures our

smaller, multi-skilled teams who don’t have a dedicated pastry chef can create adventurous bakes easily.”

BaxterStorey locations using the book as part of their café display have experienced better interaction with customers who enjoy flicking through the recipes before making their purchase choice.

Annie Herriott, part of the food development team at BaxterStorey, said: “Alongside The Modern Baker we created a style guide. This has helped to build confidence when it comes to displaying and styling counters, helping our teams to better market their products.”

Inspiring your creations™

9

Countries.

Origine Couverture Chocolates.

Distinct characteristics.

Grown in limited quantities, the cocoa beans selected for Origine Couverture Chocolates originate from a single country in order to offer you exceptional chocolates with a strong personality.

Explore Haiti 65%, be seduced by its lingering taste of citrus fruits and fresh mango enhanced by a fine bitterness.

N

EW

/ A UNIQUE AND DISTINCTIVE TASTE PROFILE.

www.cacao-barry.com

GANACHE INTERVIEW

by Namai Bishop

Cherish

Finden Cream of the Crop!

Multi-award winning Pastry Chef Cherish Finden is herself proving a showstopper in her current role as Judge on BBC2’s hugely popular Bake Off, Crème de La Crème - as dramatic as the centrepieces she presents as Executive Pastry Chef at The Langham, London. It's yet another starring role this multi-talented Chef has taken on, along with a stellar career that spans over 20 years. Namai Bishop talks to the Chef in the gilded Palm Court of The Langham, London.

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S

ince joining in 2009, Cherish's inventive work has kept The Langham, London at the forefront of London’s culinary scene, creating innovative and imaginative menus for a hotel that itself is revered as the very home of afternoon tea. Her work has been justly rewarded with Cherish leading The Langham London to top spot at the prestigious Tea Guild’s ‘Top London Afternoon Tea’ Awards in 2010, ‘Service of Excellence 2013’ winner for three consecutive years and scooping the Tea Guild Award in 2013. Cherish was also awarded ‘Pastry Chef of the Year’ by the Craft Guild of Chefs in 2012.

Her amiable personality makes her an ideal presenter and popular on TV programmes, including Heston’s Great British Food on Channel 4, BBC’s Masterchef, Australian Masterchef and BBC 2’s Junior Bake-off.

Throughout her varied and exciting career, Cherish has continued to challenge herself through training courses and culinary competitions that have resulted in over 25 medals from international events around the world - a mammoth 18 of which were Gold.

Most notably, the Singapore Pastry Team led

by Cherish came in first out of 32 national teams and won 8 gold medals at the IKA Culinary Olympics in 2000.

Singapore-born Cherish, as diminutive as she is modest, does not dwell on the string of awards and international accolades under her tiny belt. She was always too busy looking forward at creative and innovative inspiration for her craft to look back at past achievements.

Perhaps it is this appreciation of vibrant colours, textures and the cosmopolitan environment that she grew up in, that have helped shaped her work. To this day, the Asian influences can be seen, tasted and smelled in her stunning pastry creations as she uses her creative eye to capture ideas, blending food, art and culture. Cherish herself credits the eclectic elements of her upbringing in Singapore as a strong element in her work and many of her desserts involve use of more exotic Asian ingredients such as goji berry, snow fungus, red bean, ginkgo nut and dashi.

Honing her skills at a number of luxury hotel groups, both internationally as well as in her native Singapore, including a three-year stint as Sous Chef at the landmark Grand Dame The Raffles Hotel, no less, Cherish quickly mastered the uncompromising quality and service levels required at these top establishments. It is no surprise therefore that her work at The Langham, London matches effortlessly the fine surroundings.

Namai Bishop speaks to the Chef: N.B. What was your inspiration behind the chocolate you created to mark the anniversary of Langham hotel?

C.F. The Langham No.150 was created especially for our 150th anniversary. We went to the Or Noir Laboratory in France, the home of Cacao Barry, to design a unique chocolate.

The Langham No.150 is intended to put a smile on people’s faces. The sweetness of the milk and high intense note of cocoa with a long lasting taste. A tinge of honey caramel is accompanied by a fruity acidity and finished with a bitter note.

N.B. What was the creative process in creating a chocolate?

C.F. The best experience was the blind taste with the Or Noir Laboratory experts, where we tasted chocolate from different plantations and origins, all with varying tastes, profile and character.

It was a wonderful experience! The most creative and interesting part of the process was compiling the profile of the chocolate.

N.B. How does the Langham hotel brand influence your work?

C.F. Brand inspires my pieces to be innovative, creative and evolutionary.

N.B. Have your Asian roots inspired your work?

C.F. Yes definitely. I incorporate Asian ingredients with a twist.

N.B. You look after all pastry at the London hotel. How do you manage the preparation

/ serving schedule and manage your extensive team?

C.F. I have a very good team and we minute and plan in our team morning meeting which we have everyday in addition operational checks are carried out thoroughly with frequent research for new Afternoon collections, Banqueting menus, Palm Court menus and Artesian, the Best bar in the World N.B. What projects do you have lined up for 2016?

C.F. I am really enjoying my role as Judge on BBC2’s Bake Off, Crème de La Crème. It's a truly fantastic experience all round!

N.B. Will you be taking part in any industry events outside of the hotel?

C.F. Not presently but watch this space!

N.B. You have been a star figure in the industry for some time - how has the industry changed in your experience?

C.F. Pastry cooking is now being viewed in the same light as mainstream cooking. It is a lot less niche and more recognised for its craftsmanship than it used to be.

N.B. You support quite a few industry events that look for fresh talent - what advice would you give a young pastry chef in the field today?

C.F. I think it’s important to work hard and learn the basics before launching into more complicated techniques. Sometimes it’s the skills that need to be honed more than creating the bigger showpieces.

Cherish Finden Notable Awards & Accolades 2015 Macalcan lIfe tIMe achIeveMent 2015 the global chef award 2015 Judge ‘dessert of the year’ assocIatIon of pastry chef 2014 Judge ‘dessert of the year’ assocIatIon of pastry chef 2014 Judge ‘gourMet dessert chef of the year’ (MovenpIck) 2014 Judge ‘royal acadeMy of culInary art – annual eXcellence awards’ 2014 Judge ‘brItIsh kaZakh dessert coMpetItIon’ (kaZakhstan) 2013 tastIng Judge uk pastry club – coupe du Monde 2013 Judge ‘gourMet dessert of the year’ 2012 pastry chef of the year, craft guIld of chefs 2002 le salon culInaIre InternatIonal de londres, gold for petit four 2001 dessert of the year (london), 1st place 2000 olyMpIc Ika, 1st place for pastry category c, gold for plated dessert & petit four 2000 olyMpIc Ika, 1st place for hot cooking category d 2000 olyMpIc Ika, 2nd place for overall singapore national team achievement 1999 Iegho culInary coMpetItIon, 1st place for petit four

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Recipe

by Cherish Finden

INSPIRATION OF APRIL SHOWER I wanted to celebrate and appreciate the beauty of nature. An ‘April Shower’ is a short burst of rain and hopefully the dessert will give the same impact with a short burst of full flavour.

I like to think that when you look at the dessert you get the impression of a heavy rain from the dark chocolate curls, followed by the bright and refreshing spring colours in the dessert below.

Langham N°150 Chocolate I have specially created ‘Langham N°150’ The Langham Chocolate. It is a bespoke chocolate that is sensational to eat and hopes to put a smile on your face.

The sweetness of the milk combined with the high, intense notes of the cocoa leaves a long and lasting taste. It has a hint of honey caramel accompanied by a fruity acidity and finishes with a bitter note.

Ingredients

Method

LANGHAM N°150 CHOCOLATE MOUSSLINE Basic custard Boil the cream and milk. ● 100g cream Pour the liquid into the yolk and sugar. ● 100g milk Cook to 83°C. ● 40g yolk Pour the anglaise into the melted Cocoa. Make a emulsion. ● 10g sugar At 35°C-38°C fold in the whipping cream. ● 400g Langham N°150 Pipe in 30g mousse. ● 450g cream MANGO AND LIME JELLY ● 85g mango puree ● 15g fresh lime juice ● 1.2g gelatine

Boil mango and fresh lime puree.

Remove from heat and add in gelatine.

10g per glass with 12g mango cube.

MANGO AND LIME MOUSSELINE Meringue ● 100g egg white ● 135g sugar ● 60g water ● 37.5g Fresh lime juice ● 212g mango puree ● 5g gelatine ● 150g cream

Boil sugar and water to 121°C. Make an Italian meringue.

Boil the mango and lime puree.

Sieve the puree, cool down and add in the gelatine.

Incorporate the Italian meringue and fold in the whipping cream 30g per portion.

COCONUT PANNACOTTA ● 350g coconut milk ● 4 stick lemon grass ● 150g whipping cream ● 75g sugar ● 5g gelatine ● 10g water

Boil coconut milk and bruise the lemongrass and infuse for 10 min.

Sieve the mixture and add in the gelatine and sugar.

Cool down the mixture.

Pour 15g on the last layer of the mousse.

GULA MALAKA SPONGE (disc and in-between the mousse) Put all the dry ingredient together. ● 100g Gula Makala Add in the egg and the clarity butter. ● 40g trimoline Add the grated chocolate. ● 110g t45 Pour into a 18 x 28cm rectangle frame. ● 4g baking powder bake at 165°C. ● 130g egg ● 130g clarify butter ● 60g grated chocolate ● 20g grated coconut FOAM ● 80g mango puree ● 20g lime juice ● 30g sugar ● 1g hy-foamer ● 1g Xanthane gum MANGO GEL ● 100g fresh mango puree ● 5g sugar ● 1.2g agar agar Grate fresh lime zest before serving

Put all the ingredients in the bowl.

Using a balloon whisk, whisk until it is foamy.

Pipe using round tube number 7.

Warm the mango puree to 30°C. Whisk in the sugar and agar agar.

Boil the mixture and remove from heat. Cool down.

Using a Thermomix mix until the gel until it’s smooth and shiny.

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PA S T RY

by Simon Jenkins

PRESSURE

=reward T

here are many great competitions in the UK calendar for the countries passionate and dedicated pastry chefs to push, stretch and strive for perfection, and to achieve the ultimate goal. How far it will carry them? Hopefully all the way to the top of the world stage.

Such events as Coupe de Monde Patisserie, and World Chocolate Masters are two major events which raise the profile of our craft and let the pastry world know what the UK’s Patissiers and Chocolatiers can do.

There are also junior interests with the Junior Chocolate Masters, and Junior Sugar Championship. Here younger passion can be nurtured, showcased, realised and mentored to build onto the main events bringing the passion and the skill to the next generation is the way we can succeed at the higher level.

What does it take to be a contender in such a prestigious event? Having spoken to Barry Johnson Captain of the UK Pastry Team 2015 here is what he had to say; I was elated to win the UK selection and the Best Taste Award. I hadn’t entered the competition with any expectations to win or let alone be selected to represent my country. I did it to challenge myself and improve my own chocolate skills. I think it only sank in the next morning when I turned my ‘phone on to over a hundred messages of congratulations from friends and family.

My working life is always very busy and at the time running a small team at Rococo Chocolates didn’t really enable me to use work time for practice. This meant many long nights and every weekend for practice in the last few months running up to the event. I wanted to commit as many hours as I could so I could achieve my best. I have a very supportive girlfriend who kept normal life going which was a massive support.

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For the Coupe du Monde, the training was more focused towards the last 6 months in the run up to the competition; this is where it really got intense, and we felt the pressure.

The whole team took a couple of days off for Christmas but worked through New Year making changes and practicing, tweaking here, and adding there to make our pieces as strong as possible. We were very lucky that my employer Rococo Chocolates supported the team by letting us use their kitchen facilities out of work hours.

My life was very much devoted to the European Cup and the Coupe du Monde for 18 months, the training was intense at times meaning on top of a full time job I was putting in every evening and weekend for training.

Although I was putting in extra hours wherever I could I believe in all honesty we could have done more practicing/training, however we all committed as much time and effort into the training for the competition as we physically and mentally could.

I don’t think you can ever do too much training, covering every eventuality is all part of the training, we tried to make our mistakes in our timed run through but none of us could foresee for example that the ice block would break clean in half on the day – who can foresee that!

When you are training for such a huge competition it definitely tests not only your skills but also your physical and mental attitude at the same time. Having a team of creative and passionate people there will always be some differences of opinion.

Naturally not everything always goes to plan but you have to try and focus on the most important parts. We all worked together to try and keep each other positive which in a group environment is important.

The hardest part of the competition was keeping my focus and keeping up the same pace for 10 hours.

The arena was empty for the first few hours so this gave me time to settle into the rhythm before the noise and excitement of the supporters started to build. At the height of the competition the temperature was 25C and the noise and atmosphere electric. Trying to block this out and focus on the task in hand was probably one of the hardest parts of the competition.

Before the competition started, I have to say I was extremely nervous during the morning, I hadn’t slept particularly well and had been running through the plan in my head all night. I knew though what would be would

be and just had to focus on the job in hand and stick to the plan.

Once the intensity of the 10 hours had finished I have to say I felt little relieved if I’m honest. We presented the buffet with seconds to spare and got a great cheer from our supporters and the crowd. We had built in lights, smoke and music into our display so it was all very dramatic. We were all totally ecstatic, exhausted and full of emotions to have finished, especially with the problems we had encountered during the day. After the clearing down process it was great to see our families and supporters that had travelled over to support us.

The best part was definitely finding out we had placed 6th in the world – the highest ever placing for the UK team. We celebrated into the night but the only one tiny regret I had was that we forgot to get a team photo with the completed buffet!

Thanks Barry for your insight into your experiences in the Coupe de Monde UK team.

Believing in your team, theme and yourself, is crucial for the success of the training, and competition, if you’re competing in a team discipline then it is important you are all on the same page going the same direction. If one team member is trying to take things a different direction then it just doesn’t work. Of course it is important there are opinions and the creativity is flowing to achieve the best possible result, but in the end the right decisions are reached.

Faced with certain tasks and challenges the Candidate/s must be able to work within

an allotted time frame depending on the theme to produce skilful creative show pieces, entremets, and plated desserts using the very best of the skill set.

The fine line is to not to bite off too much than you can chew, so to be able to finish strongly with everything completed as planned. Keeping the theme uncomplicated and straight forward without being too safe, but on the other hand not being too experimental and too edgy that the brief is lost or diluted in translation. You need to convince the judges with your interpretation of the theme connecting them on an emotional level by mastering your chocolate or sugar work executing with cleanliness, sharpness, preciseness and making sure that all your colleges and individual pieces blend well together and fit to make one flowing structure made up from many different pieces.

Training naturally is a key part of the preparation, depending on when the selections are. You may have up to 10 months to a year to prepare, practice and train, what sounds like a long period of time can actually go very fast between your day job, family Anything can happen on the day, I guess to some to extent you are in the lap of the God’s, no matter how your preparation has gone, or how long you’ve trained for. Faced with every eventuality from transport issues, equipment problems to working conditions you have to focus and deal with what gets thrown at you, but hopefully everything goes to plan!

It is great that the candidates are now open to exposure through social media and the general industry awareness which has been raised boosts their profile and skills trying to inspiring pastry chefs to get to know what going on and to want to compete.

It also shows first-hand what is required to be able to reach the top in the event. This can only be an inspiring and motivating thing.

Also showcasing the event in itself boosts popularity; it is fantastic to be able to see what has been happening, check out who has done what and see what the levels are from other countries. Exposure like this is rewarding to the field of Patisserie in the UK, hopefully to encourage youngsters, or individuals who are already in the industry to be more aware of what it takes to be able to compete on the world stage, and to feel proud and passionate about representing your country.

Good luck to the UK Coupe de Monde pastry team for 2017!

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t e s t o f ta s t e

Coff

By Regis Crepy and

C

offee today is part of our culture and to be enjoyed on so many different occasions – whether it’s having a social chat, or at work, during a business meeting, whilst having a rest, reading the morning paper, grabbing a cup whilst travelling and certainly to linger over on holiday – whenever, a cup of coffee seems to suit the occasion. One thing is certain though – a bad cup of coffee makes a bad occasion!

I was asked to take part in a coffee tasting in London recently and thought it appropriate to ask a very old friend of mine, David Thompson, a barista to join me.

David owns the best coffee shop in East Anglia – in Sudbury to be precise and he always goes on about the fact that it is the roasting that makes the coffee acquire its wonderful taste as the roasting stimulates the oil in the beans.

We were welcomes by Xavi Mas, National Account Manager and qualified barista trainer for Novell at their London office and training centre in Mayfair.

Cafes Novell have been seducing peoples senses through the perfect cup of coffee since 1958 when founded by Ramon Novell who is still very much involved in the company on a day to day basis. Novell now has subsidiaries all over the world and in 2015 launched in the UK with offices in London, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne. Alongside the range of coffee beans they supply into the HORECA market they are just about to launch the same high quality coffee in Nespresso Compatible Capsules for the home market.

So let’s see if Novell can seduce our senses with their range of coffee.

Tasting is very personal and it is important decision to make as a restauranteur or coffee shop owner as to what you offer your clientele. It is also an opportunity to educate customers with the many varieties of blends now available. As more and more people become coffee enthusiasts, so restaurants are having to be more discerning about the coffee they offer.

Personally, I have no interest in supplying all the different types of coffee you find in most high street coffee shops, i.e. the latte, cappuccino, ristretto, macchiato, cafetiere, instant etc.. Ridiculous – and then there are all the different sizes too! We only serve espresso to our guests at The Great House in Lavenham. However, we do serve the best.

For Discerning independent coffee shop owners it is important to find the finest coffee to compete with the brands. Quality is everything and it never goes out of fashion. You will never be forgiven for cheap coffee.

A good coffee gives you the edge – it is remembered and loved by the aficionados.

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fee David Thompson

Beware though changing your mainstream coffee blend and alienating those who enjoy it. Ideally offer a small choice of different coffees to increase your customer base; it also helps if serving staff are well informed to answer questions from those more savvy customers wanting to know more about what they are drinking, such as the provenance of the beans and how they have been roasted.

Back in the relaxed tasting room at novell we tasted five blends of their coffee and Xavi played his espresso machine a little like Messi plays for Barcelona! With precision and expertise – he weighed the 7 grams of coffee required for one shot of espresso on a set of scales.

First: ‘Especial Cafeteria’ 100% natural – this is a blend of Arabica beans with a small percentage of Robusta. Intense creamy cup with hints of liquorice and caramel, good body not too bitter.

Second: ‘Gourmet responsible’ 100% UTZ Certified – This is a blend of Premium Arabic beans along with Guatemalan Robusta. Slightly acidic with hints of chocolate, vanilla and floral aroma. Recommended for Cappuccinos Third: ‘Organic’ 100% Triple Certified Arabic Coffee – This is a blend of four different Ethiopian organic coffees. This coffee has an amazing floral aroma and delicate taste of cocoa and butter.

Forth: ‘Excelsior Plus 100% Arabic Coffee. This is a blend from four different continents. Fantastic body! With lots of personality, hints of citrus and honey, a great all-rounder.

Fifth: ‘Gourmet Mocca’ 100% UTZ Certified Arabic Coffee. This is a premium blend of washed and natural Arabic coffees. High in acidity and powerful floral aroma, tastes of bitter chocolate and roasted nuts.

Once David and I had come down from the ceiling! – We had time to reflect in a very informative and enjoyable afternoon.

For us, the first coffee, ‘Especial cafeteria’ suited our palette best and we considered this to be a good all-rounder. I know David will put this on the counter of his wonderful coffee shop ion Sudbury as his guest coffee for the month of May. Thank you to Novell for taking the time to allow us to experience their coffee excellence and discover some amazing coffees. I wish you the best of luck here in the UK. To contact Novell to establish how they can help in your business please contact either Phil White – Managing Director for the UK or Xavi Mas – National Account Manager. 01937 845584 or visit www.cafesnovell.co.uk

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COOKING IN UNUSUAL PLACES

by SSGT S A Jeffery

British Army Chef... not your average chef!

A

Trained as a combat-ready soldier first and chef second, the public support for the British Army Chef has never been so strong!

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sk any professional Chef what they think of when you say British Army Chef and they might reply ‘mass catering with lack of creativity or variety’ or they might quote actor Steven Seagal “I’m just a cook” from the film Under Siege.

Most battle hardened soldiers will agree that what they look forward to most after returning from a patrol is Facebook and food (scoff) depending on whether their location has a military chef and WIFI! With over 200 roles on offer in the British Army, if you are looking for a job that provides variety, challenge and an incredible sense of pride, look no further than the British Army Chef. The chef trade is part of the Royal Logistics Corps (RLC) The British Army Chef is one of the most respected and valued trades in the British Army.

The role of the British Army Chef is to provide subsistence at any time, environment or location worldwide.

The equipment can range from state

of the art kitchen’s to a very large tent cooking on a field kitchen, or as we refer to as OFCS (Operational Field Catering System) A modular field kitchen system that is adaptable for a variety of roles and requirements. Typically one OFCS is designed for providing catering for 40 people. The London Olympics provided an excellent example how adaptable the equipment can be to use, catering from 40 to 4,000 plus at each meal.

Read any personal account of battle fields and the supply of fresh and nutritional food will often be one of the contributory factors supporting the will to fight on.

Napoleon is often quoted as saying that “An army marches on its stomach.” Getting high quality food to troops in difficult conditions is a key part of an army’s success. As one officer confided about rations in WW2 ‘corned beef was so despised by WW2 troops that on training exercises, they threw them over the cliff, preferring hunger!’

Rations or Operational Rations available to the troops have significantly improved mainly due to constructive feedback from the soldiers on the ground who have sampled many of them. In Afghanistan, the variety of rations available to British troops were incredible. As a military Chef, depending on the logistic supply chain, where possible you always use fresh rations, if fresh is not available or in short supply you would use, frozen, and finally operational ration packs.

As a chef in the field, you are not just providing fuel for the troops to do their job, you are also a culinary alchemist, often providing a much needed reminder of home comforts in hostile and challenging environments. This is not restricted to an area of conflict, it could be anywhere from an arctic military training exercise in Norway to providing catering support in the UK as part of the civil disaster contingency group.

Life as a military Chef is far from dull, regardless if you choose to join the British Army full time (regular) or in your spare time (Army Reserves) I can honestly say over 20 years reserve service I have travelled the world, experienced life and cultures as a civilian Chef you would not have the opportunity to experience.

As a civilian qualified Chef, I totally underestimated the value that military training can add to your day job if your choose the Army Reserves. With some “Essex” swagger I had been trained in a 5 star hotel, cooked for royalty and had experienced most catering environments. I joined the Reserves because I wanted to do something different and exciting, as a qualified Chef I didn’t think the Army could really add to my skill set. How short sighted I was!

The British Army takes you out of your comfort zone; remove your clean and static kitchen, forget the walk in fridge, blast chiller, chargrill, combi oven and thermo mix. Imagine you are lone military Chef in some remote part of the world, your kitchen was on the back of pallet that for some reason was not loaded.

You have a four 10 Man ORP boxs (rations) and you know the guys will be returning from a 12 hour patrol, tired and hungry with the expectation of a home cooked meal ready.

The following three words are the backbone of any Soldier and Chef...Adapt, Improvise & overcome! You will be trained to cope with any situation, your action plan in place, you have security sorted in your location, you delegate to some willing and hungry helpers (everyone helps the Chef or is at the back of the que!) to collect firewood.

Forward Operating Base Service Point (Afghanistan)

24 hour Operational Ration Pack

You find a couple of metal sheets, brick’s and a metal drum. If you can imagine scrap heap challenge for Chefs, this may help to visualise how very quickly you can improvise your kitchen to somehow provide food for the troops. Themed menu’s from Stuffed crust pizza to slow roast pulled pork wraps, you can be as creative as you like.

What is guaranteed is that the troops will provide almost instant customer feedback, which most of the time is really positive. What they don’t see is you running around like a loon, dealing with trying to regulate the heat of your improvised oven or what you thought was salt in the dark, was actually sugar!

Travel is guaranteed as a military Chef, most recently British Army Chefs deployed to Jordan to support Exercise Shamal Storm, testing the ability of the Vanguard Enabling Group to provide logistical support for the British Army’s reaction forces. As a Chef this is where you really earn your pay, feeding in excess of 1,600 international troops per day.

As a military Chef you also will also be required to demonstrate your fine dinning skills, which for the only regiment of Chefs in the British Army “167 Catering Support Regiment RLC” 2016

will be active year. Members of the regiment will be competing at SCOTHOT , The Restaurant Show building on the success of Hotelympia including catering for members of the royal family on several occasions.

167 Catering Support Regiment RLC would be best described as global catering agency, providing a niche catering support capability to both regular and reserve units. We are often asked by Chefs what happens if you are already a qualified Chef? Simple, we build on your experience, and provide you with the skills and confidence to deliver a world class catering capability in any environment.

Its not all about cooking! The British Army have a reputation for providing you with the skills and opportunity to “Be A Better You” Within reason you if you want to try any sport, the Army will not only provide the opportunity, you get paid for it too! This could be Skiing, Surfing, Mountain Biking, Triathlon, Sailing, Diving, even Polo!

To join, you do not need to hold any formal vocational qualifications, we will provide all the training you need, coach you to pass all the fitness requirements for as long as it takes and at a pace to suit you, on successfully passing your basic military training, you will be part of a unique group of Chefs that do not just cook!

We are not just chefs, we are British Army chefs – an essential part of keeping the British Army ready for any challange!

SSgt Simon Jeffery RLC @britisharmychef Facebook/britisharmychef info@britisharmychef.com 59

WINE & DRINK

by Jean Smullen

Rueda&Ri

S

pain has a wine culture as historic as France or Italy and offers a startling variety of wine styles and grape varieties. Spain has a number of things going for it, the climate is excellent for viticulture, and there are plenty of old vines and a lot of indigenous grape varieties.

In Spain the Consejo Regulador, the law making body for wine is locally based and not centrally controlled as it is in France and Italy, so they are more in touch with what is happening and up to date. As a result they are more open to change and experimentation than any other European wine country.

The key to quality in Spain is their old vines and low yields. The new style Vino del Terra is “New Style Spain” similar to IGT in Italy and IPR in France. In recent years winemakers have been quick to take in new technology to their bodegas and many of the most modern wineries in Europe are now to be found in Spain.

In February 2016 I took part in Concours du Sauvignon which took place in Spain’s Castilla y León region, at the Parador in Tordesillas. There are 94 Parador’s in Spain, the first was opened in 1928 by King Alfonso, they are all

60

located in beautiful or historical settings. They include former palaces, ancient convents and medieval castles.

The Parador de Tordesillas was once a private house, today it is a superb hotel just outside the city of Valladolid.

Though we were there to judge Sauvignon Blanc, an important grape in the Rueda DO the trip reinforced my love affair with the region’s indigenous grape Verdejo.

Rueda was put on the wine map by Marques de Riscal who moved production of their white grapes from the warmer region of Rioja to the cooler, high altitude climate of Rueda in 1972, because they wanted to make a fresher style of white wine. This started wine making on a commercial basis, the result of which was that the Rueda wine appellation was given its official status by Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture on January 12, 1980, becoming the first officially established wine appellation in the Castilla y León region. At the time the DO status was to try to gain recognition and protection for the region’s indigenous grape variety Verdejo.

Today there are 69 wineries and 1,500 vine growers.

85% of the total production is the native Verdejo grape.

ibero del Duero Spain’s powerhouse regions

41% of all white wines produced in Spain come from the region of Rueda; it is the market leader for the production of quality white wines. Rueda is the second most popular wine region on the Spanish domestic market, (2nd only to Rioja). They sell 83 million bottles of white wine (mostly Verdejo) annually.

Verdejo is the indigenous grape of the region, but as earlier mentioned, they also grow a lot of Sauvignon Blanc and Viura and they do blend the varieties together.

Rueda is situated on a high plain, about 2,500 feet above sea level. Winters are cold and very long, spring is short with late frosts, summers are hot and dry. These extreme conditions are the key to the quality of the white wines in the region.

Verdejo has been grown in Rueda since the 16th century. The grape was most likely brought to the region by the Basques. The genius of the grape is its unique palette of aromas and flavours. The wines display touches of scrubland herbs, hay and fennel that mingle with intense fruit and refreshing acidity. On the palate, they have body and structure, which is the hallmark of great white wines 61

and they display a characteristic bitterness in the finish which is very appealing.

Nearby to Rueda, also in Castilla y León you will find the DO of Ribera del Duero which is one of Spain’s most famous DO’s for red wine, but which does not yet have the recognition of the more well-known DO of Rioja.

However, it probably doesn’t harm the region’s reputation that Spain’s iconic wine, Vega Sicilia is produced here. Ribera del Duero is one of Spain’s top winemaking red wine regions and the wines are made predominantly from the Tempranillo grape.

In 1915, Vega Sicilia’s Basque winemaker, Domingo Garramiola Txomin began producing quality table wine. The wine immediately impressed the wine world. In 1929, Vega Sicilia’s 1917 and 1918 wines won international acclaim for their quality at the Barcelona World Fair; the wines were made from Tempranillo, enhanced with Bordeaux grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. For most of the 20th century Vega Sicilia was the most expensive wine in Spain.

Surprisingly, no other premium wine estates emerged from the region until 1975, when Tinto Pesquera wine was released.

Pesquera immediately won over the critics with its bold flavours, ripe fruit and deep colour. Robert Parker raved about the 1983 vintage, calling it the “the Petrus of Spain”.

This lead to an influx of investors, and a rapid rise in production and quality. The success of Vega Sicilia and Pesquera convinced local producers to focus their attentions on making quality red wine in the region.

It was Alejandro Fernandez from Pesquera who lead the fight to seek DO status.

In 1982, the DO was awarded transforming

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WINE & DRINK by Jean Smullen

wine production in the region. According to DO regulations, red wines must be made from at least 75% Tempranillo grapes. The rest may be made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec. While Garnacha Tinta and Albillo (a white grape variety also known locally as Pardina), may be used to make up 5% of the blend.

At the time the DO was granted, there were just a handful of producers in the region, today there are around 300. The production of grapes rapidly increased from 22.8million kg in 1991 to over 87.2 million kg by 2009.

Winemaking in Ribera del Duero was transformed in the early 1980s with the introduction of new and improved viticultural and modern winemaking techniques.

This modernisation continues with a trend for using more stainless steel and concrete fermentation Vats, as well as using gravity flow to move juice and wine; whole cluster fermentation, temperature control, use of newer oak with more reductive storage regimes as well as a minimization of oxygen uptake in maturing wines.

A growing number of vintners, such as Bodegas Emilio Moro in 1998, have forgone the traditional practice of labelling their wines Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva in order to vary the amount of oak used in their wines based on the quality of the fruit or to create different styles of wine. The Consejo Regulador has responded to this desire for greater flexibility. In 2006, it increased the minimum size barrique required from 225 to 335 litres.

Premium producers in the region still prize traditional low-yielding, old bush (Gobelet) vines. The vines are pruned to grow

as bushes rather than vertically trellised and are not densely planted. The grapes grow low to the ground under a circular canopy of leaves which protects them from the sun.

The advantage of bush pruning is that it naturally limits the yield of grapes on the vine, concentrating the flavour in the fruit. These old vines look different from many of the vines being planted today; they have smaller leaves, smaller clusters, and smaller grapes.

Bush vines are a more expensive way to grow grapes in general because all work must be done by hand.

Newer plantings tend to use systems with double cordon trellising, a training method which allows mechanical pruning and harvesting and is therefore easier and more economical than the manual work required by bush vines. Lower yields are achieved by green harvesting and thinning grape clusters. Cover crops are also being planted around vines to absorb excessive water and soil nutrients, thus reducing vine vigour.

The use of French oak is increasing and the percentage of new oak used has been decreasing in recent years with winemakers wanting to reduce the more obvious influence of American oak with its dominant coconut and vanilla flavours to create a less-oaked, more vibrant, fruit-forward style of wine. Even Vega Sicilia, with its famously long oak aged wines, has been reduced the time its wines are oaked from 10 to 6 years.

Ribera del Duero red wines are the great with Sunday roasts, steak and barbequed meats. They have a particular affinity with lamb, making the perfect accompaniment to Ribera del Duero’s regional dish, Lechazo, roast suckling lamb.

Recommended wines: RUEDA 2014 Prado Rey Verdejo Prado Rey’s history dates back to 1503 when the Earl of Ribadeo sold the Real Sitio de Ventosilla estate in Ribero del Duero to Queen Isabella I of Castile. The estate belonged to the Crown until the 19th century when it became the property of the Duke of Caldas. In 1921 it was sold to a private owner. Today, Javier Cremade the owner of the Estate, has extensive lands in Ribero and a state of the art modern winery recently built in Rueda. The Prado Rey Verdejo has hints of aniseed and fennel on the nose, the palate is full boded with lovely ripe tropical fruit notes and a hint of citrus.

Prado Rey is available in the UK through the importer C&D wines www.canddwines.co.uk

Palacio de Bornos Brut Nature Made from 100% Verdejo this sparkling wine from Rueda is made using the method traditionelle. What a find this is, fresh with good mousse lots of crisp acidity and that lovely herbaceous bite to the finish.

Palacio de Bornos is available in the UK through the importer C&D wines www.canddwines.co.uk

RIBERO DEL DUERO 2014 MARQUÉS De CÁCeReS Sauvignon Blanc

2011 Protos Roble Do Ribero del Duero

Originally from France’s Loire region, the Rueda style is difference is due to the greater number of sunshine hours compared with areas such as the Loire Valley or Bordeaux. This is a fine example of Sauvignon Blanc from the region, very subtle on the nose, lots of minerality showing through, very restrained and beautifully made.

Tempranillo is the main and indigenous grape of Ribera del Duero, where it is known as Tinto Fino or Tinta. Being early-ripening it is ideally suited to Ribera’s short growing season. In Ribera del Duero, these grapes combined with the unique growing conditions and careful winemaking typically produces characterful fresh and fruity wines with notes of black plums, cherries and liquorice.

Made from 100% Tempranillo with 6 months in American oak casks and 6 more in the bottle until its release.

Marques de Caceres is available in the UK through the importers Halewood International http:// www.halewood-int.com/

2014 Castelo de Medina Vendimia Seleccionada Made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc this is a single vineyard wine.

Quite earthy on the nose and very complex. Production and yield are low and the complexity of the soil really shows through. Wonderfully smoky character on the nose, floral in the mouth with notes of grapefruit and passion fruit, rather than the flinty character found in Loire Sauvignon Blanc.

Castelo de Medina is available in the UK through the importer Morgonrot Group plc http://www.morgenrot.co/

Protos is available in the UK through Walker & Wodehouse Wines. http://walkerwodehousewines.com

2012 Matarromera Do Ribera del Duero Crianza Matarromera is a prestigious wine group devoted to viticulture, wine making and oil, present in four Appellations of Origin surrounded by the Duero River: Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Cigales and Toro. We visited their Bodega Emina in Rueda for a super lunch and enjoyed the

Crianza with the most gorgeous roasted meats (“asados”).

Bodegas Matarromera is situated right in the heart of the Ribera de Duero. Its facilities are partially buried in the north hillside of the Duero Valley with beautiful views that towers above the whole valley of the municipal district of Valbuena de Duero in Valladolid.

The Matarromera Crianza is made from 100% Tempranillo which was aged for 14 months in a mix of American and French Oak and a further 10 months in bottle. This is a typical red from Ribero del Duero with lots of ripe sweet juicy fruit. It has soft tannin and a beautiful cherry fruit flavour on the finish. I love this wine style, definitely a food wine and one particularly to enjoy with any sort of roast meat.

Matarromera is available in the UK through its importer Gonzalez Byass UK http://gonzalezbyassuk.com

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TRIED AND TESTED

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by Andrew Scott

Soho Vs Flint & Flame So I’ve been in the kitchen since I was 14…I’ve come across so many different types of knives along the way, some amazing and some downright rubbish ( I won’t mention any names). You have to start somewhere when you join a kitchen or college and I think most young chefs start with a set of Victorinox. I still to this day use a Victorinox boning knife as it’s the one I feel most comfortable using, like a comfy pair of slippers I suppose! My old boss and mentor Simon Haigh taught me a lot of butchery and he used one, so I think you naturally follow in your mentor’s footsteps…

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ince then I’ve moved onto being a head chef in a couple of different places myself and you teach your chefs on their sections how to do things fish prep, butchery, larder work. It’s interesting as I always reach for my own knives instead of using the chef that I’m teachings knife. This just shows how important a set of knives is to an individual chef, they’re an extension of us and we have to feel comfortable using them to get the best results.

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TRIED AND TESTED by Andrew Scott

So along the way I have found the best knives for me to suit what sort of job I’m doing in the kitchen, I think off the top of my head I use 6 different brands of knives. Each one does a different job and all of them are perfect for me. This brings me nicely onto Flint and Flame knives, I was introduced to the Steve Mould Co Founder and Sales Director when buying a Ceramic BBQ through his company.

He gave me one of his knives to use and I fell in love with it! I’m always very wary when I get to grips with new knives as to be honest I like

what I have, and why try and mend something that isn’t broken!

So Flint and Flame, to be honest I don’t have to sell to you the way they look... they’re sexy! Very comfortable to hold and well balanced, the handle is smooth which for me is good as you don’t get too much irritation , knives I’ve used in the past have caused blisters etc. The main feature for me with these are they are made with high quality German carbon steel which stays

sharp and is easy to sharpen. Which for me should be the main feature of every knife, that it is easy to keep sharp. This obviously comes with a price….This is where Denny’s Soho knife range comes in, to be honest I’d not heard of them but I hadn’t heard of Flint And Flame a year ago. So when Chef Magazine asked me to do a comparison I was interested as I wanted to see how they stand up to other brands that have been manufacturing for years. So on to the look, I got to test out the rosewood handled ones

which I always think are more attractive to look at, the knives were well balanced and super sharp. Fully forged and comfortable to hold the only down side for me was that the handle was a little square which could be improved for comfort. I prepped and chopped with both knives and the only major difference was flint and flames slightly curved blade which made chopping more fluid. I would have to invest in a soho to see if the edge was easy to sharpen and maintain as I already know the flint and flame is.

To sum up the two knives I would recommend any chef or serious home cook to try out both ranges of knife and come to your own decision as your tools in any trade are personal.

From a professional point of view the Soho range shouldn’t be ignored and would hold their own against any entry level knife on the market today.

The price point is excellent and should appeal to young chefs and college starters. Flint and Flame for me just make me feel like I’m driving a Rolls Royce when using them, utter luxury.

Happy Chopping!

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NEWS

LADIES IN BEEF

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adies in Beef is an organisation set up and run by passionate female beef farmers to help drive awareness of the quality and versatility of British beef to consumers. Using a country-wide network of dynamic lady beef ‘champions’, Ladies in Beef works with the whole supply chain to promote Red Tractor farm assured beef.

The group works with key partners, from various links in the beef supply chain, to share opportunities to tell the great story behind farm assured British Beef. Whether it be pushing out messages on some of the nutritional attributes of beef, providing useful and convenient recipe inspiration or highlighting British beef’s suitability credentials, Ladies in Beef are sharing it all.

Central to Ladies in Beef’s work is Great British Beef Week. The week is the annual celebration of British Beef, where the group works with representatives from the trade to promote British beef and encourage the public to support Britain’s beef farmers by buying and consuming homegrown beef products.

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NEWS STAFF AT JAMES MARTIN’S RESTAURANT DEVELOP SPECIALIST MEAT KNOWLEDGE

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ames Martin’s Manchester restaurant has become the first in the North West to train staff in meat knowledge and quality.

More than 15 members of front-of-house staff and chefs undertook courses in AHDB Beef & Lamb’s Meat Education Programme to improve their understanding of beef and lamb breeds, cuts and supply chain development.

The comprehensive, free programme was developed by AHDB Beef & Lamb to address the lack of accessible training for meat industry professionals.

James Martin, owner of James Martin Manchester, said: “British beef and lamb are good quality products to have on menus and my staff and I want to share the great story behind homegrown beef and lamb with our customers. Through AHDB Beef & Lamb’s Meat Education Programme, my team can confidently share messages on provenance and quality, two factors key to helping customers enjoy their dining experiences and get the most out of their meat choices.”

JUN TANAKA INTRODUCES ANDY HALL AS HEAD CHEF OF THE NINTH Following the successful launch of The Ninth on Charlotte Street, Chef Patron Jun Tanaka is pleased to introduce Andy Hall as Head Chef.

Andy stood out from the crowd early on after being awarded the Craft Guild of Chefs Graduate Award in 2006. He has since worked in Michelin star and AA rosette restaurants including Arbutus, traditional restaurants in Spain and Private Yachts in the Mediterranean. In 2011, Andy was promoted to Sous Chef at Pearl, where he worked alongside Jun and thus kicked off their working relationship.

Taking a turn from the traditional restaurant industry, Andy then followed Jun and Mark Jankel to Street Kitchen in Broadgate Circle, where he was Chef and Manager.

At The Ninth, Andy has been heading up the kitchen team, with overseeing support from Jun since its launched in November 2015,. The Ninth offers relaxed neighbourhood dining at its finest, located in the heart of Fitzrovia. The menu marries simple yet refined French-Mediterranean sharing plates with casual, friendly service and expertly-curated wines.

Dick Van Leeuwen, business development manager for AHDB Beef & Lamb and project leader of the Meat Education Programme, said: “It’s fantastic to see the staff of James Martin’s Manchester restaurant dedicated to improving and specialising their meat knowledge.

“One of the key qualities restaurant staff must possess to consistently deliver a great customer experience is knowledge of the product to inspire diners and ensure repeat purchases. The knowledge the staff gain through the Meat Education Programme can help them deliver this experience.”

Elwyn Pugh, agriculture and sustainability manager for ABP, meat supplier to James Martin’s Manchester restaurant, said: “Everyone in the supply chain – from farm to fork – needs to ensure they have good product knowledge to help sell more red meat to make sure the industry remains profitable and the Meat Education Programme can help them do exactly that.

“Through AHDB Beef & Lamb’s Meat Education Programme, James Martin’s restaurant staff are taking an opportunity to learn about various aspects of the meat industry, which not only allows them to deliver excellence in terms of service and quality for their customers, but provides them with a transferable skill with a formal qualification.

“I hope that through the training we have delivered here at James Martin Manchester, the staff realise they have a great product, ethically produced and reared to high standards. We at ABP are always keen to show our customers just how high the quality of homegrown beef is as a part of our exceptional customer service package – whether that be supporting in the development of meat knowledge or hosting a gateto-plate day to see the supply chain in action.”

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NEWS NEW CULINARY EXPERIENCES SET TO DEBUT ON QM2 REMASTERED OVER 100 NEW DISHES SPECIALLY CREATED

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sparagus Specialties with Oeuf Mollet and Pink Grapefruit, a new menu offering in The Verandah.

Cunard, the British luxury travel brand, today announced the introduction of new dining options as well as a host of enhancements to each of the liner’s existing restaurants during Queen Mary 2’s major refit taking place in June.

Queen Mary 2 will see the creation of the entirely new Carinthia Lounge that will serve alternative breakfast and lunchtime offerings together with bespoke premium coffees; the addition of The Verandah restaurant evoking memories of the famous Grill on the original Queen Mary; a completely transformed Kings Court Buffet; new Queens and Princess Grill menus and completely refurbished restaurants for guests staying in the suites and a new Smokehouse alternative dining concept.

In addition, menus in the existing Britannia Restaurant and Golden Lion pub,

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together with Cunard’s famous Afternoon Tea selection served in the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar, will all be refreshed.

Many of the new menus are being created and tested at a speciallycommissioned new Development Kitchen which has opened in Southampton. Here, teams of chefs have been working with other culinary experts and suppliers to create a wide range of new dishes to be served on board.

“At Cunard, we pride ourselves in delivering a culinary experience that continuously exceeds guest expectations and illustrates Cunard’s utmost attention to detail,” said Angus Struthers, Marketing Director, Cunard.

“We are pleased to debut refreshed culinary offerings on Queen Mary 2 Remastered, which we have created to appeal to the most discerning guests while revitalising classic dishes and creating new ones.”

© Jérôme Bryon / Les Gens de l’Atelier

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