BUSINESS LUNCH
SPRING 15
A cut above the rest Every October a tradition dating back to 1664 sees top-hatted members of the Cutlers’ Company walk through Sheffield city centre for a service at the cathedral. It marks the installation of the new Master Cutler and elected company. Last year it was David Grey’s turn and he still remembers the day fondly as he shows BQ around the Company of Cutler’s lavish home. “It was wonderful,” he says. “It’s a role that’s still held in high esteem in the business world thanks to the commitment all my predecessors showed.” Cutler’s Hall, on Church Street, was built in 1832 and, as well as being home to the Cutlers, hosts weddings and corporate events. Head chef Jamie Whiteley worked at the Michelin starred Old Vicarage in Ridgeway and Casa in Chesterfield amongst others. Before that he was pleasing palates in France, Ireland and the UAE. In Dubai he was a senior chef at the Burj Al Arab, the famous sail-shaped hotel, which markets itself as the world’s only seven starred venue. Our lunch takes place in one of the three smaller rooms available for hire but the venue comprises spaces for all size gathering, right up to the stunning main hall. The decor is as grand as it perhaps has always been and it’s easy to imagine Yorkshire’s industrial forefathers getting down to business over plates of meat and veg. Quite whether their lunches would have been as delicately put together as our business lunch, however, is another matter. For a starter we’re served up chicken thigh, black pudding and Puy lentils with a sage and red wine jus. It’s a delicious combination and is certainly fit for a Master Cutler. The speed at which we silently devour it tells its own story. The main course brings roast monkfish, Serrano ham, cockles, mixed bean cassoulet, fondant potato and asparagus in one carefully crafted dish. The ingredients are perfectly balanced and leave just enough room for chocolates and coffee. For more information about The Cutler’s Hall visit www.cutlershall.co.uk or call 0114 276 8149.
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BUSINESS QUARTER | SPRING 15
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its stall out as the manufacturing heart of Europe.” Speculation about the negative impact of pre-election uncertainty on businesses, meanwhile, is unfounded and overblown, according to Grey. “We’ve been through the worst recession in living memory and there is more confidence coming back to markets in Sheffield City Region. I think business people look at general market conditions first, rather than politics.” As well as fighting the corner of manufacturers, Grey is an active supporter of young people in business. He is chairman of the Big Challenge – a competition in which teams of pupils aged 11-19 are given £25 to create their own enterprises. “I think young people do now see entrepreneurialism as a career option. The fact is, when is the best time to set up a business? When you’ve got a mortgage and kids, or when the fall if you fail isn’t too great? “We’re not expecting young people on the Big Challenge to suddenly burst out of school and set up Apple but I just want to make sure that young people know that setting up a business is something that they can do. “I’m really passionate about young people having a go at things. I also believe if someone gives the ball a big enough kick and then goes bust, it’s not a bad thing. Richard Branson’s first business went bust and no-one thinks any less of him. You’re better off having a go at something than not because of fear of failure.” Grey has certainly done that in his own career – and out of work too. He only recently gave up the perilous sport of single seater motor racing. He also has a pilot’s licence and owns a Piper Saratoga aeroplane, which he regularly flies around Europe. But being Master Cutler is his proudest achievement, describing it as the best thing he’s ever done except for marrying his partner Ruth last year. n
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