'Amazing set-up' - Five top chefs star on TSC Live stage at UCFF 2024

Five top chefs took to The Staff Canteen Live stage as part of the 2024 Universal Cookery & Food Festival.

Michelin-starred Jean Delport (executive chef, Restaurant Interlude), Galton Blackiston (chef patron, Morston Hall) and Harry Kirkpatrick (head chef, Trinity), as well as Kent locals Robert Taylor (chef owner, Tallow) and Robin Read (chef patron, The Counter by Robin Read), each cooked two dishes inside the tent at Loddington Farm.

UCFF, launched in 2012, this year featured two main stages as well as more than 80 supplier stalls.

Robert kicked off proceedings for TSC Live, alongside Tallow chef Cameron Grey, with his St Austell Bay mussels with white wine, cream, and crispy potatoes, as well as spiced lamb shoulder with korma sauce, coconut yoghurt, and puffed wild rice.

Asked how he found cooking on the TSC Live stage, Robert told The Staff Canteen: “I’m better than I used to be. It’s always a little bit tricky, because you’re not used to the equipment and stuff like that.

“But you do what you can. We have the chef’s table now (at Tallow) which is a similar sort of set-up in terms of you are cooking in front of people and you never know what you’re going to get asked at any point. That sets you in good stead for it.”

Discussing having an event like UCFF in Maidstone, Robert added: “I grew up in Kent, so it’s nice to be around here and for family to see what we do at the restaurant.

“They also get involved. My kitchen porter is my stepdad, he washes up for me every day!

“It’s such a good place to have a restaurant, it's called the ‘Garden of England’ for a reason. Everything grows here, there’s great meat and seafood around.”

Next up was South African Jean, who holds a Michelin green star at Interlude. His dishes were fried rabbit and carrot, followed by poached turbot with foraged sea greens and autumn truffle.

Asked how he found his UCFF experience, Jean said: “It was really well organised, very smooth to come in, set up and go, so perfect really.

“I think I need to push myself and do them a lot more (shows like this). I do enjoy it when I get out, I think it’s good.

“The set-up was quite cool, very much our style of farm-like, in the country. I really enjoyed it and it showcased the restaurant a little bit, which is ideal for us.”

The audience were then treated to Galton, who has held a Michelin star at Morston Hall in Norfolk for 25 years.

He used Gressingham duck, glazed in honey, lemon and salt, served with beetroot and hispi cabbage. Hand-dived Orkney scallops, courtesy of Seafood Scotland, were then on the menu, served with Champagne caviar sauce.

Next up was Harry, alongside Trinity’s senior chef de partie Kris Elias. Harry demonstrated the technique involved in his restaurant’s signature galantine dish, where he used guinea hen, smoked duck, rabbit, served with violette mustard.

Speaking after his 45-minute stint on stage, Harry said: “It’s the first time I’ve done anything like this on stage and it was my first time at UCFF.

“It was incredible, a really amazing set-up, really lovely to be surrounded by so much hospitality.

“You forget how many intricate parts there are to our industry and just a really class act. And being here with The Staff Canteen as well.

“I’m from Norfolk, so it brought me back to my roots a little bit. It is nice being out of smelly old London, onto a smelly farm instead!”

Robin then rounded off the day with baked turbot, leek and potato agnolotti, chives and caviar, followed by confit ratte potato with sauce soubise.

The stage was presented by The Staff Canteen’s Mark Morris, with taster pots given out to the audience to try the food being prepared by the chefs. Jean, Robert and Galton also provided raffle prizes for lucky audience members.

Each chef also had the assistance of William Burroughs during the live demos, who recently completed two years at Westminster Kingsway College.

Away from the TSC Live stage, topics on the trends and debates stage including conversation around allergen training in restaurants, English wine and addressing the issue of greenhouse gas emissions in food production.

Visitors also had the opportunity to take a short foraging tour, picking and trying some ingredients available themselves, as well as being taught some basic preservation methods.

Farm tours were also being ran around Loddington, which has been open for 143 years and is now home to sixth generation farmers.

It was explained how the focus is shifting away from producing apples for supermarkets as a main source of income, instead changing approach to expand the offering, selling more directly to consumers.

The farm grows crops such as asparagus, corn and pumpkins and also houses chickens for fresh eggs every day.

Event sponsors were Quality Meat Scotland, Seafood Scotland, Jestic, McCormick McFlavour Solutions, Warehorne Vineyard and Chefs on Stage.