Get ready for the ultimate culinary highlight at the AA Hospitality Awards this September. The annual event will see Mark Birchall hand over the reins of the industry-famed AA Chefs’ Chef of the Year Award, sponsored by Caterer.com.

This much sought-after accolade, first introduced in 1996, gives all AA Rosette-awarded chefs the power to decide who truly deserves the ultimate recognition for their outstanding performance over the past year. Voted for by their peers, the unique award is a popular and coveted title.

Shortlist

This year’s shortlist features culinary luminaries from across the country, including Monica Galetti of Mere, Paul Ainsworth of Paul Ainsworth at No.6, Clare Smyth of Core by Clare Smyth alongside eight other worthy Chefs.

Ceremony

The awards will take place at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London on Monday 25 September, and will bring together over 1,000 esteemed guests from the UK’s hospitality landscape. The evening’s meticulously crafted menu will be curated by none other than Chef Patron of Moor Hall, Aughton (5 AA Rosettes) and the winner of the 2022 Chefs’ Chef award, Mark Birchall.

Commenting on the award, Mark Birchall said:

“It has been an absolute honour to hold this esteemed title for the past year. However, the time has come for me to pass the baton. This year’s remarkable shortlist showcases chefs responsible for some of the finest gastronomy to come out of the UK.”
“As we eagerly await the winner’s announcement on 25 September, I for one will be on the edge of my seat with anticipation! To all the talented chefs, I wish you the best of luck. Your exceptional talent has truly raised the bar in our industry.”

Simon Numphud, Managing Director at AA Media, added:

“Amid the joyous atmosphere of the AA Hospitality Awards, the Chefs’ Chef award is perhaps one of our most coveted, capturing hearts and palates alike. It stands apart from the rest of our awards as our inspectors pass over the power to the chefs themselves. Let us raise our glasses in celebration of these exceptional chefs who are truly trailblazers in their industry.”

2023 Chefs’ Chef nominees

Representing every corner of the UK, from the heart of Scotland to the wild Welsh Mountains, the 2023 Chefs’ Chef nominees bring together the best of the UK’s culinary landscape. The full shortlist can be found below:

 Angela Hartnett, Murano
 Clare Smyth, Core by Clare Smyth
 Galton Blackiston, Morston Hall
 Gareth Ward, Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms
 Hélène Darroze, Hélène Darroze at The Connaught
 Lisa Goodwin-Allen, Northcote
 Michael Wignall, The Angel at Hetton
 Monica Galetti, Mere
 Paul Ainsworth, Paul Ainsworth at No. 6
 Tommy Banks, Roots York
 Tom Kitchin, The Kitchin

The AA Hospitality Awards would also like to thank Caterer.com for sponsoring the AA Chefs’ Chef of the Year Award.
To buy tickets for this year’s AA Hospitality Awards, visit our website.

The post Who will be crowned AA Chefs’ Chef of 2023? appeared first on Stir it up Magazine.

In 2008 with an MBE for services to the hospitality industry already under her chef hat, she branched out on her own with the launch of Murano in Mayfair, which has successfully retained its 1-Michelin-star since 2009 and is one of the few restaurants to hold 4 AA rosettes. Café Murano – the little sister to Murano – launched in 2013 and now has three sites across London. 

Angela was awarded an OBE this January for her services to the hospitality industry and to the NHS throughout the pandemic and her eagerly-awaited third cookbook – The Weekend Cook – rolls out this summer. We caught up with her to discuss the book, where it all began, where it’s going and why the hospitality industry offers an amazing career.

When did you know you were going to be a chef?
A lot of my family were always involved in food businesses whether it was a fish and chip shop or café so the idea of running my own food business always appealed to me. I just didn’t really know how, where or which area to focus my attention on. My mum wanted me to do a cookery course or study in France but I decided to study history. It was only really after completing my degree when I worked in a few local pubs such as The Free Press, The Cambridge Blue and The Blue Boar that being a chef really started to crystallize in my mind. 

You seemed to progress quickly wherever you went  – what do you put that down to?
I will hold my hands up and say I am late for everything in my life but I have always had a good work ethic. Wherever I worked, I worked hard, did the job properly and always had high standards. One of the key things to aid my progression was that I have never been afraid of saying I don’t know. Far too many chefs are terrified of asking for help. Others think they know it all but every chef has their own idiosyncrasies and if you’re going to work for someone else, you’re going to have to learn how they do things. It’s vital that you can ask – how do you want it done? What’s your way? Even now, I may be judging Great British Menu and I will see something different and ask – how did you do that? I’m the first to say I don’t know everything and take great pleasure in learning new tricks and techniques from others.

What do you love most about your job?
I genuinely love the banter in the kitchen most of all and that hasn’t changed. Whether it is doing a shift, developing some dishes with the team or just having a nosey with the team, I just love the people side to the job.  One of my most important jobs is that I build a team so talking to them, chatting with them and joking with them is important so they can always feel comfortable coming to me. 

Have you ever felt burnt out? 
The only time I really found it difficult was when we opened up after the second COVID lockdown. That felt so tough. Everything was hard. You couldn’t get staff, equipment, customers. Usually each day there are always a few fires to be put out but at that stage I was spinning with a hose trying to put out constant blazes and that felt like it continued for a couple of months. Hopefully we’re out the back of it now.

What have been your favourite memories?
Watching Italy win the World Cup final in Germany was pretty amazing but cooking with Gordon Ramsay and Jason Atherton in Afghanistan for the troops and the Queen giving me my MBE take some beating.

What other projects do you have in the pipeline? 
Lots happening this summer. I will be at the Summer Smoke & Cut Festival and we will be taking Café Murano to a few festivals such as Pub in the Park. We have also just started a Café Murano book club where we invite an author each month to do a talk and we cook some dishes. We’ve had Mary Berry and have a great line-up for the summer. 

Why should the next generation be looking to hospitality as a career choice?
Hospitality isn’t just about restaurants and cooking. There are so many jobs and skills within it. You could be a hotel manager, you could work on a yacht, in the army – there is so much to hospitality.  The perception of the industry has also changed and it’s a great place to work and progress. Food isn’t going anywhere. We will always need to eat and we have a great food culture in the UK. There is something for everyone in food and as Marina O’Loughlin said – “everyone has at one time been touched by hospitality”.

How long has your book The Weekend Cook it been in the works? 
It’s been a couple of years in the making and COVID probably helped as it gave me a bit more time at home to put it together. The book is all about easy to replicate, home-cooked dishes, perfect for when you are entertaining at home. Some recipes are a bit fancy and more developed but anyone can make them. The book isn’t strictly Italian with influences from around the world. It’s more of a mash-up of my favourite recipes and tips, alongside some of my neighbour’s dishes, that I have fallen in love with over the years and
that have become key parts of our annual celebrations.

What recipe have you shared with us and why?
I have chosen my Asparagus Quiche recipe from The Weekend Cook as it’s a great one for summer entertaining. Some people think that you are allowed to put anything you want on a quiche. But I’m not so sure. It is actually quite hard to make a good quiche and one of the best quiches that I’ve ever eaten was made from a Simon Hopkinson recipe – it was just onions, onions and more onions and cream and cheese. This is an asparagus quiche, but you could use broccoli if asparagus isn’t in season. You could vary the cheese you use, but you do need a hard, firm cheese. So perhaps Comte or Gruyere, or even a hard blue. You could also add a bit of cumin. Use this egg to cream ratio and you have yourself the perfect quiche base upon which to carefully build other flavours without going crazy.

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In an industry first, the Sustainable Restaurant Association has launched ‘Food Waste; Bad Taste’ online programme, urging hospitality businesses across the country to target, measure and act on food waste in their business. The online programme provides a collection of materials, tips and guidance to help businesses reduce their carbon footprint, save money and contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 – cutting global food waste by 50% by 2030.

Here several industry-leading chefs share their thoughts on how to reduce food waste…

Jeremy Pang founder of the School of Wok, London www. schoolofwok.co.uk

Look in your pantry and use up what’s inside! Dried ingredients such as noodles, rice, mushrooms, sauces and spices can help carry a meal and finish up leftovers in the fridge. Never throw veggies away, slice them up thinly and use them up in stir-fries or curries; just a simple handful of beansprouts or an end of a spring onion can easily be pieced together with some soaked noodles and some dark soy sauce to make up a full meal! We always do a curry, something we can wrap like a dumpling, and a stir-fried noodle to finish it off, as all these are massively versatile and no matter what you throw into them, they will taste good!

Samantha Williams head chef at Angela Hartnett’s Café Murano in London

We’re part of 11 restaurants who have signed up with The Regent Street & St James’s Food Waste Pledge, which aims to reduce food waste in the area by 25% by May 2020. We’re working closely with the Sustainable Restaurant Association where we will continually monitor our food waste production to ensure a marked decrease. We‘ve seen significant improvements, especially through working with our suppliers to purchase more sensibly to reduce our footprint. This is reflected in our recipes; bread that is left over from the day before we turn into breadcrumbs to panné our signature chicken milanese and grill it to
use in our ribollita. We also use our Parmesan rinds in our arancini and as a base for soups. Pasta offcuts are used for Malfatti pasta shapes, the Italian sausage ragu now has its flavour enriched by the addition of the trimmings from salami and prosciutto as well as the ends from the fennel, for an extra hit of aniseed. Courgette hearts from the fritti are also saved and used in a delicious creamy pasta sauce for staff food. It’s really got us thinking about how we help reduce our waste and be inventive with our menus.

Andres Rivera sous chef at Farmacy, has completed the ‘Food Waste, Bad Taste’ programme (https://thesra.org/campaign/foodwaste/)

Every time we look at creating a new dish now we think about it as a whole. We had a cauliflower dish on the menu recently, but we couldn’t find a good use for the leaves, so we switched to broccoli instead and we use the stalks in a salsa.

Think about all the different ways you can use every part of the ingredient from root to leaf – you can serve different bits in maybe four or five dishes. We’ve found that has helped us cut our overall waste and reduced the total number of dishes on the menu. Another great way to reduce prep waste is to pass on to the bar the fruit and vegetables that you can’t use in the kitchen. We’ve found that the best way to cut down on plate waste is for our front of house team to talk to customers both at the beginning of the meal when they can make sensible suggestions about how much to order and at the end, offering a doggy bag. About 70% of people we offer one to end up taking home their leftovers.

Stephen Forster national chair of LACA

LACA’s members sit at the heart of the school food industry. We have pledged to become part of the growing movement to reduce food waste through the Guardians of Grub campaign (http://www.wrap.org.uk/ content/guardians-grub) As the new national chair, I am encouraging all of our members to save food, monitor the amount of food that is eaten and track the amount of waste that goes in the bin. Make sure that you get your menus right and fresh cook as much as possible. With rising food and transportation prices reducing waste is not only good for the environment, but also saves money.

Mark Simpson head of operations, The Felix Project

We rescue food from going to waste and get it to charities for people in London who struggle to afford good food, and to primary schools to distribute to children and their families. The suppliers
we work with are happy to give us their surplus food for free. We always have a high proportion of fresh fruit and veg, but we don’t know what’s coming! The charities we deliver to base their menus on what gets delivered, getting creative with tasty food that’s in season. It’s November, so pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie will be featuring!

Nick Anderson head chef at the Boxing Hare, Chipping Norton www.theboxinghare.co.uk
Careful menu planning is essential to minimise waste. Think of ingredients which will provide more than one dish. For example buy whole ducks, confit legs, roast breast, rillettes from the neck and trim, stock from the carcass, duck scratchings from excess skin, parfait from the livers, confit heart and gizzards for a salad. Control of ordering is another great way to control wastage, ordering a little and often avoids foods sitting
around and spoiling and assures the best quality. Watch the seasons and don’t get into the habit of continuing with expensive imports when domestic seasons end.

Arron Potter head chef at La Goccia, Petersham Nurseries, Covent Garden

At La Goccia, we are very conscious to not over-process our food – dishes are cooked to order and off cuts are turned into simple, yet tasty staff lunches. We work closely with Haye Farm in Devon, run by the son of the Petersham Nurseries owners. Our menu changes according to what’s best on the farm that day, with surplus ingredients taken and incorporated into a variety of La Goccia dishes. We also buy meat from Haye Farm and take pleasure in using the whole animal, including offal and liver.

Douglas McMaster chef founder of Silo, the UK’s first zero-waste restaurant silolondon.com

At Silo, our restaurant furniture and fittings are created using materials that would otherwise have been wasted, our plates are formed from plastic bags, tables made from mycelium, light fittings from crushed wine bottles, our bar front is made from a combination of yoghurt pots and end of life leather. All of our food waste becomes compost and all food is delivered in endlessly reusable vessels.

Marcus Wareing acclaimed chef and MasterChef the Professionals judge

Controlling waste has always been a key part of any kitchen that I have run. If you control waste in the kitchen, not only do you help the environment, but you also reduce your own costs in the kitchen. Controlling waste is as important as controlling purchasing. Have a daily special on the menu that changes and allows you to utilise some of the ingredients in the fridge that need using.

Monitor the plates, what is coming back. Are the portion sizes too big?

• Use clear bin bags. We have had them for years, it allows the head chef to see what has been thrown away and then educate if necessary.
• Can you make a dessert using old bread that wasn’t used?

Use leftover ingredients for staff lunches. Don’t set a menu for staff, use what you have

• Use the freezer – prolong the life of things by freezing them.
• Have a smaller menu and change it seasonally. You need less ingredients.

Older fruit can be cooked, make a jam or chutney

• Before buying anything check every fridge (teach the team to do the same).
• Have a line on your menu that allows you to adapt the garnish. We may use ingredients available to us.

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Now in its 26^th year, the Craft Guild of Chefs once again took to the stage to celebrate culinary excellence. Seventeen awards were presented on the night, all of which recognised and acknowledged the remarkable talent across the UK and beyond. Previous winners include household names such as Alain Ducasse, Pierre Koffmann, Angela Hartnett, and Clare Smyth.

Andrew Green, Craft Guild of Chefs chief executive welcomed all guests by saying: “These awards are the highlight of the Craft Guild calendar, where we all have the opportunity to recognise chefs from all sectors of our industry, whether they be apprentices who have made an impact in the early stages of their career, to the more seasoned professionals that maybe haven’t had the recognition they deserve.”

He added: “It’s also important we recognise the great work so many of the Guild members do. They give up their own time to travel around the country organising competitions year after year, which adds value to a chef’s ambitions and experience and generally raises our culinary profile as a whole.”

The dazzling evening ceremony was hosted by English chef and television personality James Tanner, and the awards were presented by Craft Guild of Chefs vice presidents Steve Munkley and David Mulcahy.

The first award of the night honoured Miller & Carter with the brand-new Chef’s Favourite Branded Group award. Voted for by Craft Guild of Chefs members and other professional chefs, the significant new award recognises restaurant groups demonstrating food quality and consistency, and a menu with variety and originality, accompanied by a suitable wine menu.

This year’s judging panel consisted of established chefs and professionals across the foodservice industry. These included Steve Munkley from Royal Garden Hotel, Consultant Pastry Chef Sarah Hartnett, Adam Smith from the Dorchester Collection and Craft Guild of Chefs vice president Nick Vadis from Compass Group UK & Ireland.

Following the Chef’s Favourite Branded Group award, 16 additional awards were presented to including the prestigious Craft Guild of Chefs Special Award. This year the Special Award honoured Michael Caines MBE for his outstanding contribution to the industry. Chef patron of Lympstone Manor in Exmouth, Caines is one of Britain’s most-established chefs. He has appeared on television programmes such as BBC 1’s Saturday Kitchen, MasterChef, Sunday Brunch, Great British Menu, My Kitchen Rules and The Great British Bake-off: An Extra Slice. The holder of two Michelin stars for 18 consecutive years, he was awarded a Michelin star for Lympstone Manor just six months after opening. In addition to his cuisine, he was also recognised for his contribution to the community, which is outstanding. His creation of the Michael Caines Academy at Exeter College was hailed as an excellent path to encourage and nurture the future generation of talented restaurateurs, chefs and waiters.

Michael Caines (pictured above) said: “I’m extremely proud. It’s most unexpected. It’s lovely to be recognised in this way by the Craft Guild of Chefs. In a room full of chefs celebrating the achievements of others, to receive this award in front of all the other award winners is an extremely proud moment in my career. I’m very honoured to receive it.”

He added: “The Craft Guild of Chefs does incredible work. What I do contributes and feeds into the wonderful work they are doing. The Guild represents the future of the industry, in terms of making sure people recognise it as a profession that’s full of talent. If we don’t promote or celebrate the achievements of those within the industry, we won’t have a voice and be overlooked. I think it’s important people recognise the contribution that hospitality makes, and the artistic value chefs bring to our industry as a destination experience for people that come and enjoy food. Chefs are centred to that and need to be recognised. And we are doing that, as we do every year.”

The Restaurant Chef Award was awarded to Pascal Canevet of La Maison Bleue in Suffolk, who was rewarded for his French modern cuisine and locally sourced approach.

He said: “This means a lot because it is nominated by other chefs. I’ve never done any competitions because I didn’t think I would be good enough, so this is absolutely amazing. And especially with the runner up’s, Jean-Philippe Blondet and Kuba Winkowski, whom are both great chefs. Winning against them is absolutely fantastic.”

The Young Chef Award went to Rick Owens. Owens trained at Westminster Kingsway College before becoming a commis chef at Raymond Blanc’s world renowned two Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

Full list of winners

Chef’s Favourite Branded Restaurant 2019 sponsored by Santa Maria

Miller & Carter

Apprentice Chef Award 2019 sponsored by Compass Group

Paige Hill, Royal Garden Hotel

Armed Services Chef Award 2019 sponsored by Vestey Foodservice

Cpl David Davey-Smith, Royal Air Force

Banqueting and Event Chef Award 2019 sponsored by Major International

Gemma Amor, Sodexo, Ascot Racecourse

Chef Lecturer Award 2019 sponsored by Hotel, Restaurant & Catering Show 2019

Andrea Ruff, The Claire Clark Academy

Competition Chef Award 2019 sponsored by McCormick UK Ltd

Cpl Ian Mark, Royal Air Force

Contract Catering Chef Award 2019 sponsored by Kerry

James Larkins, Compass Group

Development Chef Award 2019 sponsored by Essential Cuisine

Laurence Tottingham, Oliver Kay

Innovation Award 2019 sponsored by Quorn Foods

Andrew Clarke – St Leonards

Pastry Chef Award 2019 sponsored by Carpigiani UK

Sarah Frankland, Penny Hill Park Hotel

Pub Restaurant Chef Award 2019 sponsored by Bidfood

Dave Wall, The Unruly Pig

Public Sector Chef Award 2019 sponsored by Rational UK

Ryan Hopper, ESS Defence

Restaurant Chef Award 2019 sponsored by Hoshizaki UK

Pascal Canevet, La Maison Bleue

Young Chef Award 2019 sponsored by De Manincor

Rick Owens, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons

People’s Choice Award 2019 sponsored by Nisbets

Murray Chapman, First Contact Chefs

New Restaurant of the Year Award 2019 sponsored by Jelf Insurance

Alex Bond, Alchemilla Restaurant

Special Award 2019 sponsored by Sodexo

Michael Caines

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The hard-hitting adverts feature images of five of the UK’s most renowned chefs having fallen on hard times and aims to raise awareness of the charity and issues that affect hospitality workers both past and present.

The UK wide campaign depicts Hospitality Action patron and trustee Jason Atherton struggling with an addiction, Angela Hartnett illustrated as a victim of domestic violence, Tom Kerridge portrayed as someone suffering from a critical illness, Heston Blumenthal, principal patron of Hospitality Action, portrayed as suffering a serious injury and Ashley Palmer-Watts shown as a sufferer of depression.
Established in 1837, Hospitality Action provides a lifeline for current and former hospitality industry workers who find themselves in a crisis, either at work or in their personal lives, and offers support, financial aid, education and advice.

Discussing the charity, Jason Atherton said: “The support and assistance Hospitality Action gives is invaluable. The charity offers aid, kindness and understanding when people are often at their lowest and most vulnerable and this is a real life changer for many, myself included, and cannot not be underestimated.”

Penny Moore, CEO of Hospitality Action, says: “The emotive and powerful images capture very real problems that afflict people in this industry, whilst the slogan drills home the message to those working in or associated with the hospitality industry that it really could happen to anyone.”
“Last year our Employee Assistance Programme enabled 80,000 employees from 70 different companies to access 24/7 support and assistance. In 2014 we spent almost £600,000 supporting 1,790 people in need. We hope the campaign will raise greater awareness of the charity and highlight how we can help industry employees to find the right solutions to the problems they’re facing.”
If you would like to make a donation to Hospitality Action text Chef15 £5 to 70070.

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