The Staff Canteen Live 2017 returned to London for July's Networking Lunch, hosted at Kitchen W8 which holds a star in the Michelin Guide UK.

Fourteen chefs enjoyed a delicious six-course menu and canapés from head chef Mark Kempson and the team and champagne from Pommery today at Kitchen W8 in Kensington. 

The chefs

In attendance today were: Mark Lawton, head chef at The Leconfield; Connor Lowrey, head chef at Bridgestreet Lounge and Grill; David Simms, managing director at Corrigan's Restaurants; Andrew McLeish, head chef at Chapter One; Toby Burrowes, head chef at Elystan Street; Steve Drake, chef patron of Sorrel Restaurant; Lee Cooper, head chef at Ickworth Hotel; Andrew Jones, executive chef at Chamberlain's of London; Adam Smith, executive chef at Coworth Park; Graeme Terrell, head chef at The Greene Oak, Windsor; Kamil Wierzbowski, head chef at Bubbledogs, Kitchen Table; Tony Fleming, chef patron at L'Oscar; Rachel Humphrey, head chef at Le Gavroche and Laurentiu Samoila, head chef at The Three Crowns in Askett.

The headline sponsor for this month’s networking lunch was Birchall Tea. When guests were seated, Jamie Steib, business development executive for Birchall, gave a short talk about the brand and what they do. Courses at today's lunch included roast rump of veal with borlotti beans and poached peach with lemon verbena.

What the chefs and sponsors had to say about The Staff Canteen Live networking lunch

Jamie said: "We've met some fantastic people at exactly the kind of places we'd like to be associated with. It's been the perfect environment to start a natural conversation which relates to ingredients, which is what we're interested in, and how our ingredients can fit in with those that the chefs that we're talking to are using.

"Chefs are notoriously hard to get a hold of and I don't blame them - they work so hard. The guy I was talking to earlier was working seven days a week, why is he going to want to talk to me? So attending an event like this gives me a really natural opportunity to get chatting to him in a comfortable situation where everyone's having a drink and having a good time. People are genuinely more enthusiastic about what you're talking about." 

He added: "As of August, we'll be listed in all of the UK Gordon Ramsay group sites, which is fantastic for us. It's exactly the kind of outlet we'd like to be in and we would never have known about that kind of opportunity or had probably been in touch with them before. But being at an event like this, we got to meet the chef, we got his interest and as a result, we got introduced to the buying team there, who are obviously going to take the chef's advice, as they're the guys who know most about what they're serving."

Today’s lunch was also sponsored by Charvet, Pommery, Santa Maria, HIT Training and Nestlé CHEF.

One of the guests, chef director at Chapter One restaurant, Andy McLeish said: "I thought it was fantastic, I enjoyed meeting the suppliers, it was great to catch up with some old colleagues as well. Superb lunch, thank you! W8's a great restaurant with superb food. It's not too bad being sociable sometimes! As a chef, I struggle but it was a good lunch."

Another guest, David Simms, MD at Corrigan Restaurants, added:
"It's been really good. It's good to network with some people that I've not met before and it's great to see some old friends. It's nice to come out - I've not eaten here before either so it's also a really good way to see a new restaurant. Life's too busy!

"You work hard, you play hard and then your family's got to fit into that as well. We should do it more often. It's great to network and to get inspiration from other people. Just seeing how other people deal with day to day challenges in business,  and getting some really good ideas from your peers."

Our next networking lunch will be held at The Black Swan at Oldstead on August 14. Apply for your place here