ON THE SURFACE, there’s tons to celebrate on the Cotswolds food scene – new restaurants, pubs upping the ante, refurbed hotels, more artisan producers than ever packing out local markets… Ace! Everything’s in place to make this region a booming food destination – and it is. But there’s one fly in the ointments: a real shortage of chefs. And it’s not just a problem here, but nationally and internationally too. We regularly get pleas here at Crumbs, asking us to post job ads and connect chefs with vacancies, so we thought we’d look closer at the matter. After all, we need to be fed.
So, what’s up?
How bad are things. We had a chat with Purslane, one of the most well-respected restaurants in Cheltenham, which has had issues recruiting ever since it opened four years ago. “I think the lack of young people coming into the industry, the boom in dining out, and a general skills shortage all play a part in this,” suggests chef patron Gareth Fulford. “The main issue when recruiting in Cheltenham and the Cotswolds, though, is definitely the large number of establishments all chasing after the same, very limited number of skilled chefs in the area.” Chris White, chef and owner of The White Spoon in Cheltenham, which has just celebrated its first birthday, agrees. “Being a new venture, without an established reputation, has meant that it’s been hard to attract the candidates we wanted,” he says. “At this time, we’re competing for talent with wellestablished, accoladed restaurants that are a more attractive prospect to chefs.”
The young ones
All the chefs we spoke to about the ongoing shortage suggested a single clear answer to it: getting young people excited about the hospitality industry. Max Abbott from Sourdough Revolution (there’s more from him on p44) says: “We’ve got to realise how important it is to train up fresh blood. Every chef that’s employable in the Cotswolds tends to be employed, and we don’t have an influx of summer workers. “In fact, I think everyone from 18 upwards should spend a bit of time working in a busy kitchen, as it teaches you so many skills – from understansing food to working under pressure and to a deadline – that you need to get on in life.”
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General manager at Tewkesbury Park Hotel, Patrick Jones, believes that young people should be targeted by the schools system. “The world of education could do a lot more to promote the hospitality industry, and deliver better preparation,” he says. “The Swiss apprenticeship system is a fine example of how to integrate school pupils into the world of work, and prepare and inspire them well before they leave at the age of 16.” Emily Watkins, chef proprietor of The Kingham Plough, agrees we should look abroad to learn. “I believe that there needs to be more respect for the industry as a whole, with better training available," she says. "I was always impressed with the Italian system, in which you could go to a hospitalityfocused secondary school, where students were taught every aspect of the business, from front of house to how to run a company and so on. It’s a wellrespected industry there and, as such, the staff are treated respectfully."
Get a life
Gareth Fulford believes that core changes to hospitality itself have to be made as well. “We need to pay people a fair wage, and try to address the work/ life balance that is a constant headache for our industry,” he says. “The days of expecting staff to work 80 hours a week on a 40-hour salary have rightly gone. There is always going to be weekend and evening work in this industry – it is a hard job, and you have to have a passion for catering in order to succeed – but chefs are not slaves, and they should both be allowed time with their friends and family, and be paid a fair salary for the hours they put in. "At Purslane, we give the chefs 2.5 days off a week, pay the living wage and an equal share of the tips, give meals on duty, and offer an extra day’s holiday for each year of service.”
The training table
There’s debate, too, as to whether it actually was easier to recruit chefs 10 years ago. Patrick Jones says it was certainly different then: “The internet has made all businesses more accessible to a greater number of people,” he says, “but for chefs particularly. More and more are taking agency work, and it’s these people who are really struggling with the idea of long term commitment. They prefer
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the flexibility of short term assignments, which can be a problem for a developing hotel such as Tewkesbury Park, where we need longevity and stability to drive up quality and standards. This is why we’ve paid better rates, gone for good experience, and focused on leadership.” Chris White agrees that training is a way to ‘keep them in’: “When an apprentice chef enters this industry, it’s our responsibility to ensure they get the right training to build them into a great chef. Just as important as practical skills, though, is helping them to develop their interest in food, whether it be experimenting with ingredients or meeting with suppliers.” No.131 head chef Alan Gleeson agrees: “It is important to lead from the front, listen to your team, and help them where you can,” he says. “I try to send them on stages at leading hotels and restaurants run by former colleagues and friends, thus encouraging them and broadening their knowledge. Ultimately, I have never been upset when a team member has left – as long as it’s been to further themselves, of course. “It comes down to training, support, praise, and providing a happy workplace, where staff can progress. In the words of Richard Branson, ‘Train people enough so they can leave, but treat them well enough that they don’t want to’.”
Quick fire ideas to recruit and retain
“I think that VAT should be reduced so that staff can be paid more, which would enable us to offer a more attractive work package.” Emily Watkins “Offering all the coaching, training and mentoring they need to help ensure their continuous growth and to reach their future goals. I don’t think I would be where I am now if it wasn’t for two particularly great mentors I’ve had in my career.” Chris White “We need to promote our industry as the fascinating one it really is.” Patrick Jones “We incentivise our team to bring in friends. And we're trying to work with colleges and catering departments for school leavers to look at apprenticeships, too.” Alan Gleeson “Work with staff on new dishes and their skill levels, send them on external training courses, and further their understanding of the management role of running a kitchen.” Gareth Fulford