For the first networking lunch of the year The Staff Canteen Live 2017 returned to London where we paid a visit to Outlaw's at the Capital which holds a star in the Michelin Guide UK.

Once again we were joined by a stellar list of chefs and industry professionals along with a group of suppliers who all sat down for a Michelin-starred lunch prepared by Nathan Outlaw and his kitchen team.

January's guest list included: Aaron Mulliss, head chef, Hand and Flowers at Marlow; Tom Haines, sous chef, L'Oscar Hotel; John Grabecki, head chef, BNY Mellon; Simon Hulstone, chef and owner, The Elephant; Alex Standen, resort head chef, Thorpe Park; Berwyn Davies, head chef, The Glasshouse Kew; Mark Poynton, chef and owner, Restaurant Alimentum; Nick Galer, head chef, Miller of Mansfield; Shay Cooper, executive chef, The Goring; Grant Hawthorne, executive chef, African Volcano; Chantelle Nicholson, chef patron and group operations director, Tredwells and Marcus Wareing Restaurants; Davide Degiovanni, head chef, Union Street Cafe Gordon Ramsay and Ian Scaramuzza, former head chef, Hibiscus.

On arrival guests were treated to a selection of canapes and champagne before heading into the kitchen to go behind the scenes with Michelin-starred chef Nathan Outlaw who explained the day's menu (head chef, Tom Brown was initially cooking the lunch but had to pull out due to unforseen circumstances). They were then shown into a private dining area where they were presented with a five course menu consisting of pickled oysters, cured bream, red gurnard soup and roasted hake which contained Nestle chicken stock. The meal then ended with coffee and a selection of Birchall teas, who were the day's headline sponsors.

At the sit down meal Mark Morris gave the day's introductions before handing over to the day's headline sponsor, Birchall Tea, who introduced themselves and gave a brief summary of the teas they would enjoy at the end of the meal.

The topic of choice on most people's lips was London's 24 hour tube strikes but the main topic of conversation for the day's event was about the suppliers and the quality of ingredients they provide. 

On discussing the event, Jamie Staib, account manager from Birchall Tea said: "It was brilliant, it’s a really good way of meeting people, it cuts out any awkwardness from a cold contact. Being involved in the social scene with the chefs is really helpful for us for the work we are doing with the chefs in our marketing campaign. It’s an invaluable opportunity to speak to people in the industry without having to go through the red tape you often get when you approach them."

He continued: "People were more engaged than I actually expected, normally when they see it’s a supplier they’re not so sure but in this situation they get to try the tea at the end of the day and they get to see that your engaged in what you’re doing so it’s a really nice way to introduce the idea of potentially becoming a supplier for someone."

He also added: "In terms of how it went today, it went so smoothly and I think you got everything right. There’s honestly nothing I would build on at the moment, which is great!"

The chefs were just as complimentary, Simon Hulstone, chef and owner of the Elephant said: "Today went fantastic, there was a good group of people and it was all good fun. The food obviously brought people together, we talked about the quality of ingredients Nathan does and the quality of suppliers who provide the food. It was very pleasant, very relaxed and very easy which is what a networking lunch should be.

"I’m down in Devon so coming up to London is always a bonus for me. Networking is very important for what we do and Nathan’s restaurant in London is the link to Cornwall, Devon and the West Country which is out of season now. So keeping that candle burning for us shows people we are still serious and that we know what is going on."

Aaron Mulliss, head chef at the Hand and Flowers added: "It’s a fantastic opportunity to sit down with people that you know and also people that you don’t know in the industry and it’s not just all Michelin-starred chefs it’s chefs from all sections of the industry so you get an understanding and more of a respect for what other people do because cooking isn’t just about Michelin stars, everyone has to be fed on different levels.

"I think it’s important because you get to meet not only chefs but you get to learn about new products that are coming into the industry and new ingredients you haven’t necessarily thought of. The lady from Santa Maria was talking about the pepper and everyone’s mad about salt so why aren’t we trying different peppers and things to elevate cooking?"

He also added: “The Hand and Flowers Group will always be massive supporters of The Staff Canteen. We have that relationship now and what you do for the industry is fantastic and we’ll support that. I think the more this continues (networking lunches) the more the industry will continue to do good things.”

The lunch was sponsored by Birchall Tea, Nestle CHEF, HIT Training, Charvet, Santa Maria, Pommery and Beacon Design.

Next month The Staff Canteen Live networking lunch will be held at Simon Hulstone's The Elephant in Torquay followed by The Ox and Finch and Adam Reid at The French. 

If you'd like to apply for an exclusive place simply click the link below and complete the registration details today. (T & C's apply).

>>> TSCLive networking lunch registration form